The office of the PM has issued a statement in response to media questions saying that her involvement in a new Netflix show “inspired by Nelson Mandela” had nothing to do with Harry and Meghan, who only joined the production at a later stage.
The streaming service issued a trailer on Monday for a documentary series called Live to Lead presented by the duke and duchess.
The documentary, made in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and inspired by the late South African leader, will be released by the streaming service on December 31.
The statement said: “In early March 2019 the prime minister was approached by the Mandela Foundation to participate in a project to develop accessible resources on key attributes of leadership targeted at aspiring young leaders around the world, based off a one-hour interview.
“Originally we were advised the outputs would be printed and digital books, short films and audiobooks.
“The interview was conducted on November 8, 2019. In March 2020 a short book entitled Jacinda Ardern (I Know This to be True) was published based on the interview. Other participants who also had their contributions published based on their interviews included the late US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the feminist activist Gloria Steinem, the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and the American basketball player Stephen Curry.
“In March 2021 the Nelson Mandela Foundation advised the prime minister’s office they had secured an agreement with Netflix to broadcast the series of interviews, including the 2019 interview with the prime minister.
“In May this year the prime minister’s office was notified that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would introduce the series; noting this was nearly two and a half years after the interview had been recorded and permission for its use by the Mandela Foundation had already been provided.
“All communication throughout has been with the foundation (there has been no communications with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex regarding the project).”
