How incompetent is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at passing as a relatable, likable royal?
Let’s put it this way: Her new Netflix show, which promises an “at home with Meghan” cooking experience, was not filmed at her own home, but at a rented home two miles away.
And that’s just the start, according to a report in the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
The series isn’t set to debut on the streaming platform until Jan. 15. However, if you were planning to sit down and binge watch the eight episodes of “With Love, Meghan,” which bills itself as having “wonder in every moment,” consider that the “wonder” that you might be having isn’t necessarily the kind of wonder the show’s producers were anticipating.
Let’s again start with the fact that a show that wants to talk about being “at home with Meghan” doesn’t take place in her own freaking California home.
“The 43-year-old duchess chose a sprawling estate just two miles from the £11 million [$13.8 million] Montecito property she shares with Prince Harry and their children, Archie and Lilibet,” the outlet reported.
“The mansion where her Netflix show was filmed last year, an idyllic $8 million … estate nestled within a gated community, boasts eight acres of avocado trees and lemon groves and is owned by Montecito’s influential Cipolla family.”
Furthermore, consider the fact that the trailer gives the impression that, to use the Mail’s verbiage, “it is the stage for Meghan to showcase her cooking and homemaking skills including a number of British-inspired recipes such as a classic Eton mess and a Victoria sponge.”
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For those of you who aren’t familiar with British cuisine — trust me, no one will blame you for that, including the British — an Eton mess is a meringue dessert with berries and whipped cream. It’s kind of like Pavlova, although requiring a bit less talent. A Victoria sponge, meanwhile, is kind of like a fancy Twinkie: cream and strawberry jam sandwiched between two layers of sponge cake. You will be responsible for this on the test.
The trailer:
“I’ve always loved taking something ordinary and elevating it,” Meghan says at the beginning of the trailer.
Yes, you don’t say: “In it she gives fans a sneak peek of her cooking, baking, cocktail making, flower arranging and party planning using its kitchen’s £15,000 cooker, £600 pans, £60 chopping boards and hosting friends across the property’s stunning rooms, garden and orchards,” the Mail reported.
Here’s the kicker, though: “Meghan’s cooking show is not only part of her personal reinvention but also a key component in her $100 million Netflix deal with Prince Harry,” the Mail noted. “However, the reality has proven far more challenging than the fairytale narrative Meghan may have envisioned.”
You don’t say.
The gravy train has run out fast for the Sussexes. Harry and Meghan left Merrie England certain that they could find peace and prosperity in the States, and it didn’t take long for them to cut several entertainment deals. Their podcast deal with Spotify went so badly that one of the streaming giant’s executives, sports podcasting legend Bill Simmons, called the couple “the f***ing grifters” as they left following just a handful of episodes of “Archetypes,” Meghan’s podcast.
Their deal with Netflix, meanwhile, has produced nothing as watchable as Markle’s old TV series “Suits,” which is indeed saying something when you consider that “Suits” was garbage. A tell-all book by Harry contained tons of allegations regarding the royal family, but anyone who bothered opening it realized it reeked of being ghost-written rubbish that the Duke of Sussex might not have even read, much less penned. They’ve basically run out of goodwill in Hollywood, and that arguably may be the least of their problems.
Yes, you might think that this is all gossip and royal-watching, but here’s why it’s important: Harry and Meghan were supposed to be the blueprint for the “modern” royal, self-actualized and willing to confront injustice and iniquity within the monarchy. They basically went through a very public primal scream session when they weren’t busy “branding” themselves.
And what has that gotten them? Fake happiness and real problems. If there’s anything that exemplifies how vacuous this pop culture phenomenon of a royal couple is, I can’t think of anything better than a show that promises an “at home with Meghan” cooking experience … at someone else’s expensive rented house. Apparently, she’s too untidy to have it at her own place. If that doesn’t say it all, nothing will.
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