Sophia Michaels
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, fresh off their Netflix doc, Harry and Meghan, will turn the cameras away from themselves for a new docuseries, Live to Lead, which will premiere Dec. 31 on the streaming platform.
The sorta-royals served as producers on the seven-episode series, which will explore and celebrate the values, disciplines, and principles of leaders who have helped spur meaningful change around the world. As Harry and Meghan explain in a new trailer for the series, Live to Lead was inspired by Nelson Mandela — and one quote of his in particular: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
Live to Lead will feature interviews with an array of people, including late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and feminist icon Gloria Steinem. There will also be appearances from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, activist and South African rugby team captain Siya Kolisi, and Bryan Stevenson, the lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.
Live to Lead creator Geoff Blackwell said the series was borne out of a book he and Ruth Hobday were writing a few years ago about Mandela and his prison letters. “As we worked to absorb 27 years of Mandela’s personal correspondence, reflecting on his brave and selfless commitment to the welfare of others, we were simultaneously confronted by a news cycle relentlessly focused on certain international politicians behaving in precisely the opposite way — shamelessly pursuing their own self-interest, using tactics of division and misinformation to serve power and not the people,” he said. “This contrast cemented our resolve to honor Mandela’s values by surfacing the stories of leaders who distinguish themselves through their moral courage, the conviction of their ideals and values, and their prioritization of others.”
