As Ever Part 6: Definitely NOT a trad wife

[Strudie]

Previous thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/5286597-as-ever-part-v-two-stunt-lemons-with-love-meghan

Carry on! Reviews from the US are trickling in, so far, not so good - https://variety.com/2025/tv/reviews/with-love-meghan-markle-netflix-duchess-of-sussex-1236327469/

Also, when she makes the crepes. It’s filmed side on and yes, she’s obviously watching the hob while cooking, but she never turns her face to camera. She just stares down at the frying and rambles, doesn’t lift her head. It’s so odd.

I didn't say it was a competition, I said that the succession that Meghan is making digs at the Royal family for doing exactly the same things don't make sense.

It's not on US chart- but I'm not sure what time (UK) it updates. Hot wheels has made no 10 and it was released March 3rd.

Vanessa Feltz, Express: Bantz free Zone

‘I wanted to enjoy ‘With Love, Meghan’. I’m a secret Kardashian fan. I’m not averse to a pretty princess in creamy neutrals sprinkling dried petals on a cake in a borrowed kitchen. I’m broadly in favour of bees, candles and gigantic platters of artfully strewn crudites. Lord knows I’m no Meghan-hater. How much effort could it possibly take to think of something positive to say about her harmless new Netflix lifestyle show?
I’m afraid the answer is: "Too much effort!" Far too much. With Love, Meghan is almost unbearable. It’s clear the Duchess can’t cook, bake, bee-keep or make bath-salts. Her producers might think it’s endearingly authentic to watch her ham-fistedly stirring pasta or chopping veggies in a "ladybug" shape. It isn’t. It’s boring, insulting to any vestige of intelligence we might possess and a monumental waste of time.

The series kicks off with Meghan’s make-up artist as Chief Awe Provider. She opens a jar of raspberry preserve. He tastes it and says: "Awe!"

She clumsily slices the top off a pre-baked cake. He watches and says: "Awe". Meghan’s a bantz-free zone. She doesn’t have a zingy one-liner, comical anecdote or soupcon of wit or wisdom to – her favourite word – "elevate" this slushy dross.

Episode Two is slightly less coma-inducing because her guest actress/comedienne Mindy Kaling at least attempts a joke. She tells Meghan when she received a jar of her fabled ‘limited edition’ jam she checked the number to see how highly she ranked in La Sussex’s friendship group.

Meghan can’t think of a thing to say. It's not her kitchen. She can’t cook or present. She can tip peanut butter snacks from one plastic bag to another and tie it up with a bow. If that interests you, fill your boots.

The lack of interaction I think is what did it for me, these people are meant to be her friends but no one seems comfortable around her.

in the office Mindys character (which she writes) is a massive royalist, I can only surmise she is too. I imagine for American royalists it was exciting for one of their own to marry in the family.

Wow at the Vanessa review, thanks for posting it.

People would have hate watched Meghan & Harry, The Beckhams, any fly on the wall docs about vacuous, controversial celebs (The Baldwins) but I don’t think many people are going to hate watch a boring lifestyle show.

As much as she doesn’t want to agree, people only watch and listen to Harry & Meghan when they’re dishing the dirt and spilling family secrets. That’s all they’re good at.

Thanks for sharing the Vanessa review @AtIusvue - sounds pretty nailed on to me!

I have just in the middle of watching the MK episode.

Why have a kids party just for two adults? it would have been tremendously more interesting to see a bunch of little kids having fun. Just an obvious miss.

And I'm just not sure how inspired I can be watching someone make kids party sandwiches.

It's beautifully shot though.

Oh dear

Thank you for mentioning Jane Austen! I often wonder what she would have thought of the whole Sussex debacle and how her sharp wit would have portrayed MM and H. In my mind these last few days I have been thinking of them as Mrs Elton, with her fancy sandwiches, and her bitter husband.

Sorry if this has already been posted

https://time.com/7264417/with-love-meghan-netflix-review/

“the more they say about themselves, the less real they seem”

“With Love, Meghan is a dusting of flower sprinkles that can’t hide the blandness of the cookie—a polite but distant dispatch from a rented kitchen down the road in lieu of truly welcoming us into her life”

I haven't watched it and can't stand her. But saw in the media it was out yesterday. So opened my Netflix app, gave her show a 'thumbs down' then got on with my day....

Ah that’s real county immersion for you but easy to prove she’s no amateur with a summer whistle stop tour perhaps?

The concept of a childrens party without children is just weird. Thinking back to some when little (which were always held at home) it was more like the First Form at St Trinians on the rampage (with added small boys) than anything dainty or prettily "curated".

(Still resentful I won pass the parcel but was made to hand the prize back as not fair, because it was my party. Handed to runner up. I'll get over it eventually, only been about 55 years)

Because she would have been criticised endlessly for having other people’s children on there.

I thought the same thing. Mindy was funny. Loved the joke that Mindy made about the jam numbers.

But the episode needed kids I thought. Unfortunately: the criticism of using other peoples kids - paid child actors - would have been horrendous. And if they were the children of people she knew, she would have been criticised for being willing to use them as props but not her own children.

The only vaguely interesting bit of the series is when an actual skilled and talented Korean chef comes to show her how to cook. Of course she has to keep jumping in with her banal insights and interrupt the only informative and interesting parts.
The contrast of his knowledge and skill with her amateurish attempts at being a lifestyle guru is quite embarrassing

It was almost dystopian….having a kids party demonstration without any kids.

Does anyone remember the film Children of Men with Clive Owen? Where’s there’s no kids in the world due to infertility. The kids tea party feels like a scene from the film- where people have to undertake an exercise in what happens if and when there are ever children in the world again- this is how you celebrate a kids birthday. Also because they have no contact with kids, they have no idea what they’re doing- so the kids party bags contain gardening tools and plants pots!!!

I'm confused about names. Can someone tell me if I am correct.

Harry officially has no last name, is just Prince Henry, name 2, name 3, name 4, Duke of Sussex, but has at some point used Mountbatten-Windsor, but not officially, its not on his official documents or anything. So in case we get confused about all the different Prince Harry's running around (presumably some time back in the dark ages there were loads at once as Royal love to recycle names and have as many kids as they can to preserve the line) So in his life he has only, officially every been HRH Prince Henry, other stuff, no last name.

But has used (without having to change his passport, driving license, or make a change via Deed Poll)

Henry Wales - due to his parents titles
Henry Mount-Batten - due to his grandparents preference
Henry Sussex - when he got his own title

When Meghan married him she became known as HRH Princess Rachel, Meghan ....no last name, or does she keep her last name as there is no change as nothing to change to as Royals have no last name?

Then she gets to use Meghan Sussex due to the title, and the kids, they have no official last name but although they were not prince/princess at birth as their grandparent was not a monarch. So they were just Archie no name and Lilibet no name, but unofficially using Sussex, or did they choose mountbatten.

Why do they not have to pick a name a stick with it.

One rule for them one for the rest of us.

No wonder poor Meghan got confused with all the titles and protocol. Its nuts.

If she could send herself up just a little bit it would win so many over. I can’t cook, or successfully pretend not to be so efficient to get ‘im indoors to step up sometimes, & my best mates relentlessly send me up. Why so earnest? Feltz’s intelligence shines here.

Now I am on the rainbow fruit.

So glad to receive the tip that it helps to cut up the fruit into bite sized pieces.

I am renewed again in my admiration for the Great and Mighty @AtIusvue who sat through the whole thing and reported back in real time yesterday.

I think I'm out now. I can feel my blood sugar rising just by watching all the sweetness.

Then she gets to use Meghan Sussex due to the title, and the kids, they have no official last name but although they were not prince/princess at birth as their grandparent was not a monarch.

Surely their last name is Mountbatten Windsor?

Having surnames based on titles might be the practice in Britain, but internationally I think they would be known as Mountbatten Windsor. For example, when Kate and William sued the French magazine 'Closer' for the topless photos of Kate, the French courts referred to them as 'Monsieur et Madame Mountbatten Windsor'.

When Meghan married him she became known as HRH Princess Rachel, Meghan ....no last name, or does she keep her last name as there is no change as nothing to change to as Royals have no last name?

She was never HRH Princess Rachel Meghan because she is not a 'blood' royal. She was, and theoretically still is, HRH The Duchess of Sussex. She could go by Princess Henry if she wanted, but you can see why she doesn't!

I don't see that there would have been anything stopping feminist Meghan from keeping her own name. She was never even a British citizen, so could certainly have remained Rachel Meghan Markle on her American passport.

She could do her next series in Sussex! Getting to know her namesake, looking at local farming/food traditions, meeting the locals. Riding up and down the cock ring in joyous abandonment!

I would be seriously put off a friend who corrected me over a simple well meaning comment like that. Let alone that they did so in public view.
Is Mindy happy to be put in her place? Is Meghan the boss?

When Meghan married him she became known as HRH Princess Rachel, Meghan

No, technically she is Princess Henry. She's not a royal/blood princess (like Eugenie and Beatrice), so can only take her husband's name after the title "princess". The same applies to Catherine. Although obviously nobody has ever called her Princess William, she's the Princess of Wales now, so that's easily avoided.