Meghan Markle is once again making waves, and not for breaking new ground. This time, it’s British author Mel Elliott stepping into the spotlight, accusing the Duchess of Sussex of taking a little too much inspiration from her existing work. At the heart of the drama is Meghan’s canceled animated Netflix series, Pearl, which Elliott claims bears an uncanny resemblance to her own creation, Pearl Power.
And by resemblance, we mean more like copy-paste energy.
Back in July 2021, Meghan proudly announced Pearl—a children’s animated series about a young girl discovering her inner strength by learning about inspirational women from history. Uplifting? Absolutely. Original? That’s up for debate.
Because here's the kicker: in 2014, a full seven years earlier, Mel Elliott had already launched Pearl Power. Her version featured a bold young British girl on an eerily similar empowerment journey—one that had already been written, illustrated, published, and even geared up for animation.
Coincidence? Meghan might hope so, but the similarities are raising more than a few eyebrows.
Now, before the Sussex Squad fires up in defense, let’s be clear—no one’s definitively declaring that Meghan swiped the idea. However, Mel Elliott did send a legal letter in 2021, followed by two personal letters—one to Netflix, another to Archewell. The response? Total silence. Nada from Netflix. Crickets from Archewell. And Meghan? She vanished like a ghost on Halloween.
Seriously, it’s the disappearing act for me.
One moment, Pearl was front and center on Archewell’s website, and the next—poof—scrubbed clean, as if it never existed. Almost like a deleted Instagram post that didn't get enough likes.
Let’s line up the “coincidences”:
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Both lead characters are named Pearl
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Both are young girls
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Both are on missions to find empowerment through strong female role models
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Both are animated series
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Both are targeted toward children
Oh, and by the time Meghan’s Pearl was announced, Mel’s Pearl Power had not only released three books, but they’d been translated into multiple languages, endorsed by celebrities, and were already in the process of becoming an animated project.
So how many “coincidences” does it take before it starts smelling a lot like creative theft?
But wait—there’s more.
According to Elliott, the most painful part of this wasn’t even the possible plagiarism. It was being ignored. She had actually hoped to collaborate. Imagine that: two Pearls, one powerful message. Instead of drama and lawyers, it could’ve been a celebration of women supporting women.
But no. Not even a polite decline. Just Netflix quietly canceling Pearl in 2022, citing “budget cuts”—which many believe was just code for we’re not touching this legal mess.
Now here’s where it gets juicy: some fans are speculating whether Netflix gave Mel Elliott a nudge to speak out. Let’s be real—Meghan’s multi-million dollar deal with the streaming giant isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. And if they were looking for an easy way to part ways, what better out than a plagiarism controversy?
Strategic, maybe?
Let’s also not forget Mel Elliott’s story. She created Pearl Power in 2014, while battling cancer, and dedicated herself to making it a success. All she wanted was to protect her creative vision. And as Meghan continues to champion women’s empowerment, it’s hard not to notice the irony in allegedly ghosting a fellow female creator.
So here we are—yet another day, another Markle mess.
Will this end in a lawsuit? Time will tell. But one thing is crystal clear: in the court of public opinion, Meghan’s originality rating is running dangerously low.
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