Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appoint new head of content for Archewell Foundation

Sussexes bring in acclaimed film producer to work closely with Netflix and Spotify

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's split from the royal family is set to be turned into a film by Lifetime. Reuters

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have appointed a new head of content for their Archewell Foundation as they seek to deliver on lucrative deals for Netflix and Spotify.

Award-winning producer Ben Browning will now oversee creative projects for Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio.

Mr Browning, an American born to British parents, has highly acclaimed production credits to his name including Late Night, The Big Sick, Arrival and Room.

His most recent project, Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, was recently nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to go for Browning due in part to his background in film start-ups, Forbes reported.

"From the moment they shared their vision for Archewell as a global production company that will spotlight diverse voices and share uplifting stories, I knew I wanted to help with this unique opportunity," Browning said. "It's a thrilling company to be starting."

Archewell, which is now in partnership with the Invisible Hand agency, also confirmed that its chief of staff, Catherine St-Laurent, would take on a senior advisory role.

Meanwhile, James Holt has been promoted to executive director of the foundation.

"Archewell is incredibly pleased to welcome Ben, Genevieve and the Invisible Hand team to the organisation," said Archewell's global press secretary, Toya Holness.

Last year, it was revealed that the couple signed an exclusive £100 million ($135 million) multi-year production deal with Netflix, and have also joined forces with audio streaming giant Spotify.

In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, because of unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.

Meghan, a former star of the American TV legal drama Suits, married Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie was born the following year.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey that was broadcast this month, the couple claimed Meghan was the victim of racism and callous treatment during her time as a working member of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace said the allegations were “concerning” and would be “taken very seriously".