The Duchess Dilemma: Unpacking the Pressures and Controversies Surrounding Meghan’s Must-Watch Netflix Show

Is Meghan in trouble? Following the unveiling on Thursday night of the one minute and 50-second official teaser for her upcoming Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, she has faced extensive mockery.

She’s been charged with everything from being unauthentic and derivative to improperly wielding a knife, letting her hair droop into food, and jeopardizing the health of her celebrity guests by jabbing polished nails into raw bread dough.

So what, you might wonder. However, the crux of the matter is that the series, alongside its international appeal, is a pivotal moment for the Sussexes.

Their £80 million agreement with Netflix is set to expire this autumn, and With Love, Meghan may be their final offering to the streaming platform.

The candid documentary Harry & Meghan was a tremendous success for Netflix in December 2022, yet Prince Harry’s Heart Of Invictus was among its lowest-rated shows in 2023, and his program Polo, about the sport of kings, was criticized and did not make it into any Netflix Top Tens upon its autumn release.

Numerous other disclosed projects, including a film adaptation of the chick-lit novel Meet Me At The Lake, have gone nowhere.

Should they hope for any chance of having the deal renewed, With Love, Meghan must be a success.

Indeed, following Megxit and their relocation to California, the Netflix partnership is believed to be their primary source of revenue. Meghan’s agreement with Spotify was famously terminated in 2023 after she and Harry ‘fell short of productivity standards’. A joint announcement from Harry and Meghan’s company and the streaming service indicated that they had ‘mutually decided to part ways’.

Stills from the one minute and 50 second official trailer of With Love, Meghan, her forthcoming Netflix show

The stakes are even more significant as With Love, Meghan is designed to serve as a springboard for her American Riviera Orchard brand, which is anticipated to begin selling its first products shortly, despite ongoing issues surrounding copyright.

That enterprise, believed to be operated in collaboration with Netflix, could be their financial salvation. Nevertheless, Meghan will need to effectively convey her vision to the public – and persuade them to embrace it – for it to thrive.

Evidence of the significance of this relaunch for the Sussexes was demonstrated on New Year’s Day when the Duchess re-entered social media with an Instagram post. Uncharacteristically, it was made with comments disabled.

She has previously expressed that she endured ‘almost unbearable’ trolling on social media, while her husband Prince Harry has consistently criticized social media platforms, including Instagram’s parent company, Meta, for their detrimental effects on mental health.

Sources ‘knowledgeable about the situation’ informed Vanity Fair this week that she returned to the site ‘after discussions with executives at Meta, Instagram’s parent company, regarding the promotion of healthier online experiences’.

This has not deterred the criticism. On YouTube, where Netflix shared the trailer video, there are countless comments, and they appear to be entirely negative.

One comment states: ‘Meghan With Love for whom? Certainly not her father, her husband’s family, or the friends she abandoned once they were no longer beneficial. Such warmth and affection, such genuineness, serving celebrities food prepared by a chef in a rented set house.’

Some detractors argue that the series lacks originality, while others note that it represents quite a shift for Meghan, who has articulated on multiple occasions about her ‘higher purpose’ in life. That purpose has not previously incorporated adorning doughnuts with edible flowers or hosting a tea party in a greenhouse.

In 2023, Kensington Palace released photogenic pictures of the Princess of Wales beekeeping

Meghan pictured beekeeping in the Netflix trailer released on Thursday

Additionally, some believe that introducing any aspirational lifestyle show is insensitive as many around the globe grapple with the cost of living crisis. Blogger Meghan McCain remarked: ‘This is why the world doesn’t like you, nothing more. Just completely and utterly tone deaf to the moment.’

In fact, the teaser for the upcoming series has sparked more discourse than many full-length films. So, what makes it so contentious – and can it achieve success?

The faux ‘house’ – and gardens

The ‘at-home’ cooking series features Meghan at a residence that is not her own. As with Harry & Meghan, which was filmed at a different Montecito mansion, With Love, Meghan does not originate from the couple’s personal home.

Instead, the production crew is thought to have paid $500,000 for ten weeks of filming at 130 Tiburon Bay, owned by local affluent individuals Tom and Sherrie Cipolla. It is merely a short distance from her kitchen, where she recorded the Instagram promotion for American Riviera Orchard when it had a swift ‘pre-launch’ ten months ago.

This kitchen features a 48-inch Thermador stove, valued at £15,000, along with an abundance of white Le Creuset cookware, copper pots, walnut cutting boards, and Shun Santoku knives, each approximately £200.

The gardens of the property are likely to play a role as well, with the Duchess filmed uprooting lettuce and transporting salad vegetables in a basket from a garden she does not, um, maintain.

(To be fair to Meghan, using another person’s kitchen as yours).

is nothing fresh: Nigella Lawson faced backlash for leading viewers to think a television studio was her residence throughout various seasons.)

All my personal creations?

The filmmakers at The Intellectual Property Company have, rather unusually, chosen not to disclose any names of the staff on the IMDb page. This means we are currently unaware of which home economist assisted her with the recipes and actual preparation on the program. Neither Netflix nor the Sussex office provided any statements.

During its development, the project was referred to as ‘PTJ’ – an acronym seemingly denoting ‘Project Joy’.

The Marchioness of Bath, Emma Thynn, dressed in charming florals, surrounded by fresh blooms while cooking on her YouTube series Emma’s Kitchen

Reimagined recipes

Recipes are often circulated, modified, and replicated to such an extent that originality becomes a challenge. Nonetheless, a few of Meghan’s most striking offerings in the trailer are definitely not her unique creations.

The ladybird canapés – where a quartered tomato forms the body, a split black olive serves as the head, with balsamic vinegar dots as the spots – have been a Pinterest favorite online since 2016 and have been crafted and shared by influencers since then.

Her cakes – a Victoria sponge with cream and raspberries, and a madeira adorned with raspberries and mint – are also quite commonplace.

The frozen edible flowers in ice cubes were first presented by American lifestyle expert Martha Stewart over ten years ago, while the edible flowers atop doughnuts have remained a well-loved recipe on Instagram for a long time.

Seems familiar

The show’s aesthetic is notably generic. The Marchioness of Bath, Emma Thynn, wears lovely floral attire and is encircled by fresh blooms while cooking on her YouTube series Emma’s Kitchen. The Marchioness has also showcased beekeeping, much like Meghan.

In 2023, Kensington Palace released visually appealing images of the Princess of Wales engaging in beekeeping.

The ladybird canapés – featuring a sliced tomato as the body, a halved black olive for the head, and balsamic vinegar dots as the spots

These became a Pinterest favorite starting in 2016 and have been crafted and showcased by influencers consistently

A pointed jab

With Love, Meghan’s showrunner Leah Hariton had previously executed four seasons of Selena + Chef, featuring actress Selena Gomez collaborating with various chefs, including Gordon Ramsay.

Not only does the appearance of both high-budget series resemble each other, but the ‘comical’ moment when Meghan receives a lemon juice splash in her eye while squeezing one for a beverage echoes a scene where Selena Gomez accidentally squirted herself with lemon juice in one of her 2023 episodes.

That ‘blooper’ also made its way into the trailer for Selena + Chef.

Knives revealed

Numerous remarks have surfaced online regarding Meghan’s knife handling and her technique for chopping spring onions. Positioning a finger along the top of the knife is typically frowned upon, and her chopping style suggests a lack of even basic skill training.

Closest companions?

The promotional material features a significant amount of Meghan embracing and laughing with her acquaintances – including her makeup artist associate Daniel Martin and Delfine Blaquier, wife of Harry’s polo-playing friend, Nacho Figeuras. However, not everyone present seems to have a direct personal relationship with the Duchess.

Rather, it appears that some participants will be demonstrating recipes to her – such as Roy Choi, a celebrated Korean-American chef known for his food truck empire.

He appears to confirm their prior unfamiliarity when he states to her: ‘We are family now.’

Netflix did not respond when inquired about the compensation he received for participating – yet they have not dismissed claims that some guests were compensated.

Other guests include Tracy Robbins, the fashion designer married to Paramount executive Brian, and Mindy Kaling, the comedic writer who shared a close friendship with Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney.

Mulroney and Meghan once shared a very strong bond – she served as the chief bridesmaid at her wedding to Prince Harry, with her children taking roles as page boys and flower girls. However, they ceased communication following an incident where Mulroney clashed with a social media influencer and faced allegations of racism.

Another guest, Kelly McKee Zajfen, is connected to Meghan through the Duchess’s former husband, Trevor Engelson. Engelson was a friend of Kelly’s spouse, Julian.

Negative response

Within 24 hours of its release, the trailer garnered 494,000 views on YouTube. The video received 6,600 likes, while apps indicate there were 42,000 dislikes, nearly seven times the number of likes. It attracted 10,805 comments, with the majority being highly critical.

Top comments include: ‘The most unknowingly hilarious satire I’ve ever witnessed: a woman who has caused turmoil in her and her husband’s families, who has been accused of relentless bullying leaving people ‘in tears’ and traumatized; a ‘tyrant in heels’; a woman who has ridiculed the elderly. She dubs this With Love, Meghan?! Absolutely hilarious.’

D-day is approaching

The afternoon of Tuesday, January 21 will be a crucial moment – that’s when Netflix unveils their weekly global Top Tens. If the show does not feature in that ranking in its first week – after all the worldwide scrutiny – it would indeed be a substantial shock.

For the program to achieve success, it must perform well across all eight episodes and continue captivating viewers post-initial period.

Meghan could transform this endeavor into a success – and potentially build a commercial empire around it.

However, if it does not resonate, one might ponder the potential future path for her and Harry – who barely appears for a moment in the trailer.