Royal correspondent
Blue skies, picture-perfect flowers, intricately-prepared cakes and Californian sunshine streams through the windows. Oh, and another celeb turns up in your kitchen.
Is that like your home too? Of course not. And that’s the point really. The new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan is about escapism and aspiration, it’s a glass of something sparkling on a grey day.
Whether you love or hate the TV series will almost certainly depend on what you think about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. And there will be the opinions of many on both sides.
What you won’t see are references to her life as a working royal, her children Archie and Lilibet and there’s only a fleeting glimpse of Prince Harry.
It’s in an entirely different genre from the previous Netflix documentary from Meghan and Prince Harry, which raked over their angry departure from royal life.
Instead we’re into a zone of gleaming smiles in polished kitchens, with a soundtrack of positive music pulsing away.
This is an eight-part ode to optimism, relentlessly upbeat and feelgood, where parents, rather than clinging to glasses of Friday night white, are standing proudly behind a huge fruit platter beautifully presented in a rainbow design.
Meghan, 43, dominates every moment of this lifestyle TV series, whether it’s cooking, gardening, chatting, dancing. Or, as the series begins, beekeeping.
And of course there’s jam. That was trailed as the first product of her lifestyle brand that has been renamed As Ever, with Netflix now a partner in the merchandising. The jam, presumably on sale soon, is spread generously through the series. “Oh my God,” says a guest tasting the raspberry preserve.
Does that mean that those busy worker bees in the Hello Honey episode are also going to see their produce heading for the supermarket shelves? And will the beeswax candles that we see in great detail be heading soon to retailers?
The food we see being made includes different types of pasta, focaccia, frittata, quiche and doughnuts. To be honest, Raymond Blanc won’t be losing any sleep. There are also craft sections on making bath salts, a balloon arch and arranging flowers.
We learn about Meghan’s fashion style. She likes “high low” fashion, mixing up high street fashions with expensive designers.
It’s all presented in lush colours, with dramatic shots of the California coast and mountains.
Friends drop in. There’s the movie star Mindy Kaling, who jokes about the weight of Le Creuset saucepans. Celebrity chef Roy Choi is there. There’s designer Tracy Robbins and Victoria Jackson who ran a cosmetics business.
But for those watching with an understandable sense of nosiness, this isn’t actually filmed in Meghan’s own home.
There are occasional glimpses of another life below the surface. She mentions: “I was a latchkey kid, so I grew up with a lot of fast food and TV tray meals.” Even a domestic goddess had to grow up somewhere.
As a viewer, you want to pause and find out more about that. But the show rushes on. There’s a toughness here.
Watching it makes some questions come to mind. This is an intelligent, socially-aware woman in her forties. She’s living through a huge political moment in the US. What does it say that she’s showing us tips on being a perfect hostess?
And does this also mark a final departure from any prospect of a return to palace life. The whole breezy, commercial charm of the show is a world away from the royals. This feels like looking forwards to a new future, without any more haggling over the past.
Everything that Meghan does gets intense attention. That’s partly because of how she polarises opinion. People who think she’s wonderful and people who can’t stand her are all interested in watching more.
This series will inevitably get attention because of Meghan’s involvement. But will there be enough for either her fans or her detractors to get their teeth into? How strongly can you feel about a cake with a few raspberries on top? Opinions will be divided. As Ever.
