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Published : 09 Mar 2025, 03:49 PM
The fourth project from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Productions, titled “With Love, Meghan,” premiered on Netflix on Mar 4.
The cooking-housekeeping reality show comes as the fourth instalment of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s $100 million deal with Netflix. While the first project, “Harry and Meghan”, was a big hit, the duo had little to do with it. The show’s success came from curious viewers looking to get juicy details of the “royal” family feud.
The two projects afterwards were banking on the retired royals’ personalities instead of palace drama, which did not catch the viewers’ attention and did not spark many opinions, either good or bad.
However, the banner’s last project – featuring Meghan in a solo stint – has outraged the audience with its exhausting “hostess with the mostest” theme.
Meghan’s antics on the show are eerily similar to other tradwife influencers like Nara Smith and Nabela Noor, who receive their own share of criticism from the internet daily. But Meghan’s added flair of being a royal makes her more vulnerable to online trolls.
Meghan’s show is based on the simple premise of inviting other celebrities over to her Montecito mansion and spending the day trying out new recipes and crafting activities.
The show is supposed to be relaxing and aesthetically pleasing while highlighting Meghan’s sustainable, mindful practices in even the minute tasks of her daily life. But her lack of chemistry with the guests and exhausting attempts at being both relatable and aspirational have made watching the show feel more like a chore.
The show is full of yes-men like her makeup artist Daniel Martin and actress Mindy Kaling, who seem to be stepping around eggshells while talking to the duchess.
“The Office” star Kaling even gets reprimanded after calling her by her maiden last name: Markle, as the duchess sniggers, “you know I’m Sussex now!”. Meghan later covers it up with her spiel on how fulfilling it feels to have the same surname as her family.
Viewers criticised Meghan’s personality shifts between relatable girl-next-door and unapproachable royal. The debate sparked after she described her outfit choices as “high-low”, mixing affordable high-street Zara trousers with luxury Loro Piana sweaters.
Despite her easy-going schedule filled with time-consuming hobbies like candle-making and beekeeping, Meghan puts up a show of her busy mom life. Although she has the time to cut out little ladybirds from tomatoes and olives, her busy schedule doesn’t allow her to cook full meals, so ham sandwiches and one pan spaghetti are the most “cooking” she does on her cooking show.
Instead, her focus is on repackaging already packaged food into polythene packets and handwritten calligraphy labels. Throughout the show, Meghan’s beige minimalistic aesthetic pokes through, where everything must be neutral, pastel, and clinical. Her conversations are stiff and calculated, following her uplifting, mindful script to a T.
Even though her almost narcissistic traits have set off rumours of this being the couple’s last TV show, a certain group has embraced her programme with open arms. The purpose, however, may not be for housekeeping or crafting inspiration. Meghan’s show has become a prime example of “rage-bait”, where people intentionally circulate content that elicits a feeling of anger in people, driving up content engagement.
Airing seven episodes worth of rage material from Meghan Markle has massively boosted Netflix’s engagement, regardless of the reviews. This may come as a silver lining to the duchess, as her five-year deal with Netflix is nearing its end. Perhaps the engagement from rage-baiting will be the trump card she needs to renew the multi-million dollar deal for another five years, finally revitalising her show-biz career.
