Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan to significantly alter their planned film adaptation of a best-selling book in a move that might be interpreted as a dig at Prince William, according to a Royal expert.
According to reports, Netflix bought the film rights to Carly Fortune’s romance bestseller Meet Me at the Lake to have Meghan and Harry produce it as part of their lucrative deal with the streaming giant.
The book, which centers on a couple who met in their 30s, addresses a variety of mental health-related themes, including postpartum depression and the loss of a parent to a child character in a vehicle accident.
A royal expert predicts that when they film the movie version, the Duke and Duchess will make significant changes.
Assistant editor Kate Manzi of the Mail on Sunday said on Palace Confidential, “It’s a romantic story about characters called Will and Fern who meet at the lake surprisingly enough.”
“Surely that Will name will be changing,” host Jo Elvin joked.
Ms. Manzi added: “I was thinking that because Will is the kind of very hot love interest in the novel.
“So, there’s no way they are going to allow those names. You can’t leave it as Will so he will definitely have his name changed I’m sure.”
Prince Harry and Prince William’s relationship has been strained as a result of the release of various projects by the Sussexes, most notably Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare, which leveled a series of accusations at the Prince of Wales.
There has been no indication of whether Meghan Markle, a former actress, will appear in the film.
Initially, it was reported that Harry and Meghan had purchased the film rights to the novel for $3.8 million, but further reports revealed that Netflix had purchased the rights with the intention of the Duke and Duchess producing the film through their firm Archewell Productions.
The pair inked a five-year deal with Netflix in 2020, apparently worth $100 million, and released a six-part docuseries last December depicting their love, marriage, and ultimate departure from the Firm.
