Meghan Markle is back in the headlines—and not for a royal reunion or a new Netflix hit. This time, she’s being accused of plagiarism by British children’s author Mel Elliott, who claims Markle’s now-canceled Netflix animated series "Pearl" bore some suspiciously close resemblances to her own series, "Pearl Power." If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Elliott’s not feeling very flattered.

Elliott shared that she was "disappointed and confused" when she saw the similarities between her books and Markle’s planned series, which was announced in 2021 but dropped less than a year later. Elliott’s main gripe? The overlap was apparently just too big to shrug off, even if she can’t say for sure whether Markle’s team ever laid eyes on her work.

The author had hoped to turn her books into an animated series too, and her legal team even reached out to Markle and Netflix. The response? Crickets. Elliott’s lawyers stressed that the similarities were "too many and too striking to be mere coincidence," warning about potential intellectual property issues. Yet, despite the formal heads-up, Elliott says she never heard a peep back from either Netflix or Markle’s Archewell team.

What really stings for Elliott is the lack of acknowledgment. She lamented that she would have loved to collaborate or at least get a nod for her creation, but was simply ignored. As Elliott put it, "The world of arts and media are very competitive, and I'm afraid it's quite common for powerful people to rip off the work of less well-known creatives — although I'm not saying that's what happened here." Now, with "Pearl" shelved as of May 2022, Elliott says she’s glad the show was canceled, but wishes she could have been part of it, instead of left on read.

Markle and Netflix have not commented on the accusations so far. The "Pearl" series was supposed to follow a young girl learning to "step into her power," a theme that matches Elliott’s focus on female empowerment and equality in her own books. The irony here is hard to miss.

This isn’t the only recent accusation dogging Markle. Earlier this year, critics called out her new podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder," for allegedly mimicking the title of an existing show, "Confessions of a CEO." Social media, never short on opinions, quickly pounced, with one user suggesting that a simple Google search might have saved a lot of trouble.

The royal copycat claims don’t stop there. After Markle launched a cooking show on Netflix, comparisons were drawn to Pamela Anderson’s similar series, "Pamela’s Cooking with Love." Royal commentator Neil Sean even called Markle’s version a "frame-for-frame" copy in some segments, right down to the high-fives on set. Apparently, in the world of celebrity cookery, originality is the rarest spice.

And just when you think the plagiarism parade is over, the mayor of Porreres in Mallorca, Spain, accused Markle of lifting the logo for her lifestyle brand, As Ever, straight from the town’s historic coat of arms. The brand’s logo—a palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds—does raise some eyebrows if you’ve seen Porreres’ emblem.

For now, it’s a waiting game to see if Markle or Netflix will break their silence, but one thing’s for sure: in the world of royals and reality, originality is definitely up for debate.

Intellectual Property News

Meghan Markle Faces Plagiarism Claims Over Scrapped Netflix Show and More