Martha Stewart may have once walked with grace into the world of lifestyle entertainment, but Meghan Markle is sprinting full speed to the bank with her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
It's as if Meghan has decided to serve up her version of the "royal treatment" on a glittering silver platter—but with an unmistakable side of cringe. When the trailer for her much-anticipated show dropped, the internet's reaction wasn’t exactly a warm embrace. Instead, a mixed bag of bemusement and skepticism filled social media feeds. The series promises to give viewers a peek into Meghan's domestic utopia, featuring playful cooking, meticulous flower arranging, honey harvesting, and the whimsical act of decorating jars with personalized stickers—all while wearing a sequined apron and dazzling jewelry.
The trailer opens with Meghan strolling through a pristine vegetable garden, basket in hand, as she lovingly extols the virtues of transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary ones. She delivers a monologue filled with the kind of earnestness that borders on parody, waxing poetic about vegetables with a tone that would make even the humblest zucchini feel like a national treasure. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left wondering how many people in the world actually have the luxury of an immaculate vegetable garden—or the time to whip up elaborate, mint-infused, three-tiered cakes while their hair remains camera-ready.
Meghan’s enthusiasm for a platter of hummus and vegetables is presented with the fervor of someone who believes they’ve invented appetizers. She spins the tray as if performing culinary magic, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the entire scene is meticulously choreographed rather than a spontaneous act of joy. Then there’s the pièce de résistance: Meghan painstakingly arranges raspberries on a cake, her megawatt smile outshining her sparkling engagement ring. Authenticity? Not quite. It’s styled perfection wrapped in a performance—a glossy portrayal of cooking that feels more like a beauty campaign than a genuine kitchen moment.
And just when you think the cringe factor has peaked, in walks Prince Harry, visibly trying to participate in the domestic theatrics with the enthusiasm of someone who’d rather be anywhere else. His supportive husband persona might win him points with fans, but his awkwardness is palpable, as though he’s counting the minutes before he can escape back to more familiar territory. Yet, loyal Meghan supporters will no doubt find comfort in his garden cameos, a symbolic testament to their shared journey into the world of organic living and farm-to-table aspirations.
Despite the playful messaging, one glaring question looms: How much authenticity can a show like this genuinely convey? Meghan repeatedly talks about embracing "playfulness over perfection," but the entire presentation screams curated elegance, not relatable spontaneity. If the goal was to teach everyday viewers practical tips, the message gets lost beneath layers of coiffed hair, flawless makeup, and diamond-studded accessories. After all, how many of us truly feel inspired by someone tossing mint leaves onto a cake while twirling in an oversized designer sweater?
And speaking of hair—let's address the elephant in the kitchen. Those perfectly placed strands that casually fall over her face might be a stylist’s dream, but in the real world of cooking, loose hair is a hygiene nightmare. For anyone who’s ever baked bread, the last thing you want is a rogue strand making its way into the dough. The appearance of unwashed hands and perpetually photo-ready poses don’t exactly inspire confidence in her culinary skills, either.
Which leads us to another point: Meghan has no formal culinary background. So why does she suddenly feel qualified to lead a cooking show? Sure, a banana bread recipe might seem charming, but when it's essentially the same basic concoction a child could whip up on a lazy Sunday, it hardly qualifies as groundbreaking content. The polished presentation and lofty messaging about "elevating simple moments" feel less like relatable wisdom and more like a thinly veiled attempt to keep Meghan’s name front and center in public discourse.
In the end, With Love, Meghan seems less about food and more about brand preservation. It’s a carefully crafted vehicle to keep her in the headlines, a reminder that while royal titles may be forfeited, celebrity status is forever. After the whirlwind of family drama, headline-grabbing interviews, and media meltdowns, this lifestyle series feels like the next calculated step in her public persona evolution. But will viewers buy into the illusion of relatable luxury and down-to-earth elegance? That remains to be seen. One thing is certain—she’s stirring the pot, platinum spoon in hand, whether we like it or not.
