Prince Harry Wasn't Pitching Meghan Markle to Disney's CEO Back in January
Last January, videos of Prince Harry talking to then-Disney CEO Bob Iger made the internet rounds. In the clips, Harry is "pitching" Meghan Markle to Iger and, in not-surprising news, it was announced that Markle would be narrating a Disneynature documentary. It all went down at the London premiere of the entertainment giant's live-action remake of The Lion King, but according to new reports, things were already well underway with Markle long before that talk. So, it seems, the whole thing was just an inside joke.
"You know she [Meghan] does voiceovers ...," Harry said to Iger at the event, which just happened to also feature an appearance by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
"Oh, really?" Iger said back. Harry continued, saying that Meghan would be interested in a collaboration. Iger agreed, saying, "Sure. We'd love to try."
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Hello! notes that Meghan had been approached by the movie's team, including producers Mark and Vanessa Berlowitz, long before January, however. According to the paper, Meghan "had been aware of the film for some time and had seen some of the footage taken over a few years, so the team thought she would be a good fit for the narration given her passion for the subject."
Meghan recorded her Elephant voiceover in the fall, with the stipulation that her participation included a donation by Disney to Elephants Without Borders. Yesterday, the charity issued a statement thanking Meghan for taking part in the project.
"Harry and Meghan's dedication to conservation is inspiring. Together, we will continue to work to conserve Africa's natural heritage, with a focus on empowering the people who coexist with elephants. Everyone at EWB is grateful for their friendship and their unwavering support of our efforts to conserve this iconic species. Harry and Meghan have both visited us in Botswana, and [we] have no doubt that their passion and dedication will mean they continue to use their platform to make our world a better place. Thank you, Meghan. Because of you, this film brings knowledge and information to a global audience which in turn brings them closer to elephants. The impact will be global, reaching schools, more homes, and more countries."
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A statement from @ElesWoutBorders, who worked with Duchess Meghan and @Disneynature on the upcoming @Disneyplus movie #Elephant.
EWB, who support local communities and their coexistence with elephants, are one of the orgs chosen by @DisneyConserves to benefit from proceeds🐘 pic.twitter.com/DbDsQ5IRMK— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 27, 2020
Despite speculative reporting, Meghan has no further deal with Disney (be it superheroes or animated films!).
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 26, 2020
