Everything We Discovered About Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show ‘With Love, Meghan’
It’s finally time to explore Montecito! After months of excitement, speculation, and a few brief previews, Meghan Markle’s With Love, Meghan premieres on Netflix on Tuesday, March 4, at 3 a.m. ET. Prior to the debut, Us Weekly got their hands on advance screeners of all eight episodes. Here’s what we discovered while binge-watching the Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle series.
What’s the vibe and format of the show?
Each episode showcases the Duchess, 43, in a recreation of the lavish Montecito, California, home she shares with Prince Harry and their children, Archie and Lilibet. Throughout the show, she shares her insights on cooking, baking, crafting, hosting, and more while being joined by friends—some familiar and others not.
Dressed elegantly, often going barefoot in relaxed California-chic attire (think lots of neutral colors, denim, and a Northwestern University sweatshirt), Meghan engages in conversation with her guests, her director, and the camera while she undertakes various projects in the kitchen, garden, chicken coop, and other areas. She reflects on topics such as the joy of hosting, her appreciation for nature, hands-on creativity, the beauty of imperfection, healing, motherhood, and, of course, her life with Harry and the kids.
“For me, the joy of hosting is about surprising guests with moments that show I was genuinely thinking of their entire experience from morning until evening,” she shares.
Meghan Markle Courtesy of Netflix
The filming style recalls shows like Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa or Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Cooks, featuring intimate, dreamy shots that, when taken outdoors, are illuminated by sunlight, showcasing the stunning landscapes: mountains, ocean vistas, and the rich foliage of the Santa Barbara region. (We wouldn’t mind living in Montecito ourselves!)
The soundtrack complements Meghan’s described tastes: “I play a lot of ’70s soft rock, yacht rock, plenty of soul, and also French dinner music.”
Who are Meghan Markle’s guests?
Meghan Markle and Mindy Kaling Courtesy of Netflix
Among the Duchess’ guests are her former Suits makeup artist-turned-friend Daniel Martin, actress Mindy Kaling, celebrity chef Roy Choi, Deflina Blaquier (the Argentinian wife of Nacho Figuera, Harry’s polo-playing best mate), her former Suits co-star/friend Abigail Spencer, philanthropist Kelly Zaijfen, local chef Ramon Valezquez, Tacha skincare co-founder Vicky Tsai, designer Tracy Robbins, philanthropist Victoria Jackson, and renowned farm-to-table chef Alice Waters.
What kind of food does Meghan make on the show?
Across the eight episodes, utilizing fresh produce from her gardens, the Duchess creates impressive platters of crudités (three varieties in total) and fruit displays, as well as dishes like single-skillet spaghetti, rigatoni with greens, salt-baked branzino, Korean fried chicken, chicken tinga tacos, a quick frittata (for Kaling), quiche, children’s tea sandwiches, and whimsical crostini (with one resembling a ladybug), along with homemade coffee creamer, sun tea, blooming tea, bellinis, mimosas, and cocktails in mason jars.
“I really enjoy feeding people,” she confesses. “It’s my love language. There’s nothing better than preparing food for someone and watching their delight as they eat it.”
What other projects and crafts does Meghan get into?
Alice Waters and Meghan Markle Courtesy of Netflix
Dressed in a complete beekeeper’s outfit, Meghan gathers honey from her personal beehives, later using the beeswax to craft candles. Discussing her proximity to the bees, she remarks, “It’s wonderful to feel this connected… We’re going to have an abundance of honey, honey.” Later, she humorously admits, “The irony is I never liked honey, but now I appreciate it immensely thanks to this process.”
For a sleepover with her makeup artist friend Martin, she curates a welcome tray that includes homemade bath salts, truffle popcorn (made from dried corn), Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzels, and a bedside bouquet. During Kaling’s visit, Meghan organizes a “mock tea party” for their children, complete with a DIY balloon arch and a goodie bag filled with mini gardening tools, seeds, compostable pots, and manuka honey sticks. (“Anything whimsical is perfect for kids,” she adds.) For a lunch gathering with girlfriends, she stops by a local flower market to compose a picture-perfect bouquet; in another segment, she repurposes a grocery-store bouquet packed with carnations to elevate it to something “stunning and high-end.”
As a big fan of handwritten notes and labels on her food items and gifts, Meghan pens the menu for a brunch gathering. “Adding a personal touch through handwriting means so much to me,” she says, noting she received an A-minus in her penmanship class. (It looks quite nice to Us.)
Do Prince Harry and kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet appear in the show?
Harry, 40, is heard off-camera in two flashback videos as Meghan reminisces about their past, and he appears briefly in the final episode when Meghan hosts a celebratory brunch for the launch of her business (her lifestyle brand, now named As Ever). “Well done! You did great. I love it,” the Duke of Sussex praises, showering her with kisses and hugs during the festivities. Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, never make an appearance on camera but are frequently mentioned. (A photo of Archie from his first birthday is shown in a flashback.)
Does the show feature Meghan’s famous preserves or future products from her lifestyle brand As Ever?
The jam Meghan crafted from her garden’s fresh berries—strawberry, raspberry, and more—frequently reappears as a condiment for yogurt and ice cream parfaits, a cocktail ingredient, breakfast topping, and cake embellishment. Kaling, one of the celebrities who received a jar of the jam, described it as “one of the most glamorous moments of my life,” although she did challenge Meghan about the numbers assigned to each jar.
“As someone who values hierarchy, I wondered, ‘Who are the people receiving lower numbers? Does that make me less special?’” she jested.
“It wasn’t a ranking!” Meghan clarified, mentioning her mother, Doria Ragland, was among the recipients. “It was simply an effort to share them, but people took it rather personally.”
While no additional As Ever products have been disclosed thus far, Us speculates that the Duchess may offer honey, chili oil, essential oils, candles, or cake mix, inspired by some of the creations showcased on-screen.
What does Meghan reveal about Harry, the kids, and her life now?
While on-screen appearances of her family are limited or non-existent, Meghan frequently references her tight-knit family unit of four. Here are a few notable quotes about her husband and two children:
- “When I cook bacon, my kitchen instantly fills up with [my] husband and three dogs… My bacon definitely attracts all the boys!”
- “I have a family, with a husband who, no matter what meal is in front of him, always seasons with salt before tasting it. So, I make an effort to undersalt.”
- “We have plenty of arnica in our home. Toddler life means many minor injuries!”
- Referring to Harry as “H,” she adds, “H is an excellent cook. Really good at breakfast!”
- “Once you have kids, you get accustomed to balancing things on your hip.”
- “Lili created a song” about tidying up, she shares: “Clean as you go! Clean, clean, clean!”
- Meghan fondly reminisces about a recent “family vacation” where Archie caught two trout, and they prepared a meal with his catch. The children “enjoyed it—it was very sweet.”
- “Lili has a doll that I can’t recall who gifted her. It includes a little baguette, some cheese, and she’s named Stella Al Fresco!”
- In one segment, their chicken coop is humorously dubbed “Archie’s Chick Inn,” and Meghan gifts a friend a carton of themed eggs.
- She shares that her relationship with cooking has “evolved since having the children.”
- “It’s such an integral part of what I want them to experience and to create these wonderful memories together, like ‘Oh, Mama used to make this!’” she articulates.
What does Meghan reveal about her past before Prince Harry and her rise to fame?
Roy Choi and Meghan Markle Courtesy of Netflix
In one episode, she divulges that her first job, at the age of 13, was at an ice cream shop called Humphrey Yogart.
While hiking in the mountains with her Argentinian friend Blaquier, she mentions that she lived in Argentina for several months while “interning at the U.S. Embassy… I thoroughly enjoyed it!” (She also speaks beautiful Argentinian Spanish.)
In reminiscing with Tsai, she recalls a brief stint as a cocktail waitress “at a bar in Chicago” during her college years at Northwestern. After mistakenly taking a customer’s order for a Ketel One martini, her superiors reassigned her to coat check duty, she laughs.
“I used to teach gift wrapping classes while auditioning as an actor,” she shares while wrapping a present for Waters.
Reflecting on her early days on Suits, makeup artist Martin reveals to Meghan, “My agent once told me you reached out to them directly without representation,” adding that she was also busy working on her lifestyle blog Tig while filming the show, which launched in 2011. “We were both figuring things out together,” she responds.
Spencer describes her role as “head of morale” for the Suits cast and crew. “I enjoyed planning fun activities for everyone,” Meghan confirms.
What are some other memorable moments?
Meghan enjoys puns (“He puts stock in this stock!”) and often chats with her food items: she bids a warm farewell to a cake entering the oven, saying “goodnight, sweetheart!” and tells fruits about to be dehydrated, “see ya later, ladies.”
On the topic of mom guilt, Meghan observes: “Just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you don’t want to do some things. Focusing on what you can do is where all that love can come from. You aren’t losing points or credibility by not making the dumpling wrapper!”
When Kaling calls her “Meghan Markle,” Meghan corrects her with a smile. “It’s amusing how you keep saying ‘Markle’… I’m a Sussex now. Once you have children, you realize, ‘I share my name with my kids.’ I had no idea how meaningful that would feel, but it has become so meaningful to say, ‘This is our family name.’ Just us now.”
Does Meghan address past royal family drama?
Meghan does not explicitly tackle her challenging experiences as a working royal, their and Harry’s choice to step back from royal duties, revelations from a CBS interview, Harry’s memoir Spare, their inaugural Harry and Meghan Netflix special, or ongoing speculation regarding tensions with the broader British royal family.
However, she does hint at her recent history. She mentions her friend Martin as someone “who was in my life before, during, and after, shall we say”—likely referring to her time as a senior member of the royal family.
While discussing imperfection and the art of Japanese kintsugi with friend Tsai, she alludes to her past struggles: “If you break something valuable, it’s not irreparable; that fracture can enhance its beauty. That break adds to its story. It feels really symbolic… For anyone who’s endured challenges, you’re not broken: it can be repaired, it can be mended and healed.”
Meghan visibly becomes emotional when Tsai adds: “Perfect isn’t beautiful. Items that have been loved and mended are more stunning.”
With Love, Meghan will begin streaming on Netflix on Tuesday, March 4.
