Harry and Meghan to adapt a romance novel — with striking similarities to their love story — with Netflix

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly purchased screen rights for a bestselling romance novel about a couple who finds love in their 30s.

Working as producers, the couple will adapt The New York Times bestselling book, “Meet Me at the Lake,” by Carley Fortune, into a Netflix movie, reports Deadline.

“Meet Me at the Lake,” published in May 2023, bears a striking resemblance to Harry and Meghan’s own love story. It tells the story of a couple who meet in their 30s, one of whom lost a parent in a car accident and went on to struggle with drug and alcohol use, per Deadline. The novel deals with themes of childhood trauma, mental health challenges and postnatal depression.

It is set in Toronto, Canada, where Meghan was living when she began dating Harry in 2016, while filming the legal drama, “Suits.”

“The themes of the book gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix,” an insider source told The Sun.

“Meet Me at the Lake” sold 37,000 copies during its first week on the shelves, reports The Telegraph. It was published by Penguin Random House, which previously published Harry’s hit memoir, “Spare.”

Adapting a novel for the screen marks a change in course for Harry and Meghan, who previously found success creating the Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” which shared insights on the couple’s royal exit.

The series received harsh reviews from critics but rose to one of Netflix’s most-viewed documentaries, even ranking No. 1 in the U.K., as reported by the Deseret News.

Aside from their Netflix docuseries, the former royal couple has struggled to wedge themselves into the world of Hollywood.

They were dropped by Spotify earlier this year after failing to live up to their $25 million deal, which required the couple to create multiple podcast series. The couple made just 12 episodes of the “Archetypes” podcast and were labeled as “grifters” by Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, per The Guardian.

Bringing “Meet Me at the Lake” to Netflix will be the first time Archewell Productions — the couple’s production company — has paid to develop a novel into a television drama as part of their multimillion-dollar Netflix deal.

According to Forbes, Harry and Meghan signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Netflix in 2020 to “produce documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.”

“Netflix was pleased to sign Harry and Meghan and is looking for some great ideas going forward,” an industry source told The Sun of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal.

“But the remainder of the deal relies on them producing those good ideas. The deal’s continually under review which is normal for ones of this magnitude.”

The couple’s reported involvement in adapting “Meet Me at the Lake” shows effort to fulfill the requirements outlined in their Netflix deal. They have earned just half of the money Netflix offered and must produce more interesting content to receive the rest of their paycheck.

The couple’s Netflix deal was reportedly put under threat as they failed to produce content, but this project “is their biggest and most significant as producers,” an insider source told The Sun.

If the couple’s screen adaptation of “Meet Me at the Lake” proves successful, it “will be a boost to the couple’s partnership with Netflix, reported to be under threat despite the success of last year’s record-breaking documentary series detailing their frustrations with royal life,” per Deadline.

Related

• Harry and Meghan split with Spotify. What will the royal couple do next?

• Prince Harry made millions, but did it cost him his popularity?

Prince Harry’s ‘Heart of Invictus’ also coming to Netflix

In addition to producing “Meet Me at the Lake,” Harry and Meghan are also involved in the upcoming Netflix series, “Heart of Invictus,” a series that follows competitors as they prepare for Prince Harry’s Invictus Games.

“This new series from Archewell Productions follows a group of extraordinary competitors from around the globe — all service members who have suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses — on their road to competing at the Invictus Games,” Netflix shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Invictus Games is a competition founded by Harry for wounded, ill or injured service members.

“Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve. This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year,” said Prince Harry after the series was announced, per Newsweek.

“As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.”

The Invictus Games series is slated to land on Netflix sometime this summer.