The show is being seen as a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes, who signed a multimillion-pound deal with Netflix in 2020
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle series has premiered on Netflix and features appearances from Prince Harry and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.
With Love, Meghan launched on the streaming platform at 8am UK time – midnight on the west coast of America – after being delayed from January due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
The show is being seen as a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes, who signed a multimillion-pound deal with Netflix in 2020.
The eight episodes, which are each 33 minutes long, see Meghan inviting famous friends to “a beautiful California estate, where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips”, Netflix says.
The show, which has the mood tags “relaxing”, “feel-good” and “lifestyle”, features appearances from comedian and actress Mindy Kaling and her former Suits co-star, Abigail Spencer.
Episode one called Hello Honey! features Meghan’s friend Daniel Martin as she prepares a “thoughtful guest basket”.
It began with Meghan harvesting honey from bees as she says: “The biggest things is keeping a low tone – talk in our bee voice.”
The Duke of Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet sent Meghan a bouquet of flowers ahead of the start of the series, with a handwritten card reading “Congratulations mumma! We love your show, and we love you!” which was signed Lili, Archie and Papa.
The duchess also shared videos of herself surprising fans at a special screening of the show, with some showing off temporary tattoos of Meghan’s As Ever logo.
Meghan renamed her lifestyle brand As Ever, switching from the name American Riviera Orchard just weeks before the launch after facing trademarking setbacks.
Netflix is a partner in her business, the duchess has said.
In the final episode Harry makes an appearance where he enjoys lunch and cocktails with Meghan’s friends and her mother Doria Ragland.
In an interview with US magazine People to promote her show, Meghan opened up about the “learning curve” she experienced with her series and brand, admitting there had been “tons of twists and turns”.
But the duchess, who has been accused of promoting the tradwife trend – short for traditional wife, said she did not see herself as a tradwife.
She described how she liked to do a “hybrid” and detailed how she preferred to present Chinese takeaway food as beautifully as possible.
“I like being able to do a hybrid but even when I get takeout, I will try to plate it beautifully,” she said.
Meghan has previously described As Ever as meaning “it’s always been, and if you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know, I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening”.
She said, in what was taken to refer to the restrictions she faced as a member of the royal family: “This is what I do, and I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years but now I can.”
As Ever trademark applications include a vast range of products from shower gels, incense, pet shampoo and gardening trowels to cutlery, stationery, diaries, paper party decorations, wrapping paper, ornamental non-precious stones, bird houses, honey stirrers, jams, marmalades and tea sets.
A family-run clothing business called As Ever based in New York spoke out about Meghan’s brand, saying they would continue with their original name and had been struck by the “outpouring of support and concern” over their firm.
Meghan began a soft launch of then-called American Riviera Orchard in April last year by sending celebrity friends jars of her homemade strawberry jam.
Before marrying Harry, she closed down her lifestyle website called The Tig, which she had used as a platform to discuss social issues such as gender equality in addition to articles on travel, food and fashion.
The duchess has faced criticism over authenticity for hosting With Love, Meghan from a Californian farmhouse, rather than her own Montecito home.
