Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have signed a new multi-year contract with Netflix

Harry and Meghan's first offering in their new Netflix contract will be a documentary short about a Ugandan orphanage called Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, in which they will serve as co-producers on.

The duchess is also set to present one-off "magical holiday" special of her cookery and lifestyle show With Love, Meghan in December, which promises to show viewers how to "deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts and share lots of laughs".

The couple - who stepped down as working members of the British royal family in 2020 before relocating to California - are also thought to be in "active development" on other projects that "span a variety of content genres", including a feature-length take on the best-selling romantic novel Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune.

Meghan, whose As Ever lifestyle brand is run in conjunction with Netflix, said that she and Harry, 40, are "proud" to have extended their partnership with Netflix.

The 44-year-old former actress - who was known as Meghan Markle prior to marrying Harry in 2018 - said: "My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision."

Netflix's chief content officer Bela Bajaria said: "Harry and Meghan are influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere."

The new deal has been announced just weeks before the Sussexes' initial five-year contract with the streamer was due to expire and it was previously thought that their contract was unlikely to be renewed.

A source told The Sun newspaper last month: "The deal is done; no more shows will be made. Netflix feel they've got all they can from the couple... They're not unhappy with how things turned out - they got those initial hits, and produced one of the most talked-about shows of all time.

"There's no animosity from either side. Things have just run their course."

Another insider told the Daily Mail newspaper: "They're just waiting for the credits to roll. They're letting it expire without drama. There's no appetite for anything new."

The couple initially signed a lucrative deal with Netflix in 2020 and created shows such as the tell-all documentary Harry and Meghan and the duke's sports show Polo.