With a Christmas special, Meghan returns to the streaming platform after being criticized on Netflix for her canceled show With Love. Here we look at some of the highlights of the episode.
Meghan Markle has returned to Netflix with another edition of her panned lifestyle show in time for Christmas – and it’s set to raise eyebrows again. With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration landed on the streaming platform this morning and shows the Duchess of Sussex create a range of festive-themed crafts and dishes – as well as give a sneak peek into her life in California with Prince Harry.
In fact, Harry makes what appearst to be his longest-ever appearance in any of the With Love, Meghan episodes, featuring for a whole two minutes near the end of the episode as she whips up a Christmas-themed salad with Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio.
READ MORE: Princess of Wales issues special message to the nation at ChristmasREAD MORE: Prince Harry reflects on ‘greatest privilege’ as he issues emotional Christmas statement
Meghan and Harry previously announced a new, less-than-as-new streaming service agreement with the streaming giant, in contrast to their reportedly 100 million (£74 million) contract five years ago. We look at some of the bombshell moments now that the hour-long Christmas special is underway.
Harry PDA and brutal joke
Harry makes an appearance at the episode’s conclusion as Top Chef judge Tom prepares festive dishes with Meghan. He describes how his family customs include serving a special salad made of beetroot, black olives, and fennel on Christmas Eve.
Meghan chuckles as she reveals they are all flavours she loves but rarely eats, as all of those foods are a turn-off for Harry. And Harry arrives in the kitchen to greet her with a kiss as they finish the dish, which also includes anchovies and pickled vegetables.
When she tell him what the salad contains, he says: “Oh wow, that’s like the anti-salad”. He is told, “everything he hates,” and she laughs and says it. And Harry says to his wife and the waiter, “You must have known I was coming.”
Meghan also cooks up gumbo, which she reveals has become a tradition for her mum Doria, to cook for the family on Christmas Eve. Before the fish goes on, Harry says, “This is my favorite,” and that he prefers it with the chicken and sausage.
He replies, “I can feel it puncturing through the top of my head right now,” as Meghan prepares gumbo for him without a bowl of fish.
He follows up: “It is delicious, I’m not so sure it’s as good as your mum’s, but it’s certainly close”. Which Meghan yells, “What?” as Harry giggles. Meghan says: “My mom will love you for that. What a lovely compliment you have on your mother-in-law. And Meghan kisses Harry again at the end of the scene before embracing him and saying “thank you for coming.”
Crafting ‘ cheat ‘ claim
Naomi Osaka, the four-time tennis Grand Slam champion, is invited to participate in Christmas crafting earlier in the episode. On Christmas Eve, they get to decorating plates for their children so they can leave treats and drinks on for Santa Claus and the reindeer.
As they attempt to decorate their plates, both women complain about how poorly they can draw. Before giving up, Meghan begins to attempt to draw holly because it appeared to be bats.
In the end, she decides to resort to her signature calligraphy, writing a message on the crockery. Meghan says to Meghan, “You’ve got to stick with what you know,” but Naomi notices. The tennis player teases her, though, by saying, “It kind of feels like cheating though.”
Christmas with the royals
Although her days in the Royal Family are well behind her, Meghan does draw on her experiences of spending the festive season in the UK.
She tells restaurateur Will Guidara they will create their own personalised Christmas crackers as they welcome him after spending two Christmases in Sandringham in 2017 and 2018.
Will inquires about the significance of crackers, who are more seasoned. And she continues, “I live in the UK, it’s undoubtedly a big part of the culture. Typically, people cross their arms and do it. They all pull simultaneously while they are seated around the table.
They would always have some sort of fortune cookie-sized joke or riddle, which I discovered when I first got to know them. And something sweet. “
She labels the personalized cracker as “My Love” rather than “Harry,” and adds, “My husband’s has a little love letter, a chocolate, a little hat.”
Lilibet and Archie’s “grown up” romantic partners
While making the crackers, Meghan decides she is going to make some for her children Archie and Lilibet, with personalised gifts inside as well as sweets and confetti.
She inserts a mini rollerball perfume into the cracker to make a gift for Lili and states, “Lilly really enjoys trying to be a grown-up lady at the moment. This is like a little lavender rollerball. So I pondered that a little bit.
While Archie’s cracker and a red car are a toy burger and reflect Meghan’s two passions, burgers and vibrant color are.
Earlier in the episode, Meghan explains the idea of advent calendars as she puts tiny gifts into Archie and Lili’s named fabric pocket calendars, saying:” I wanted to do it for my own kids… All it’s really about is having a surprise and delight every single day for 24 days until you get to Christmas. “
She also writes, “I love you because you are so kind,” and “I love you because you’re so brave,” in handwritten notes for her children, which she refers to as “little findings.” Lili and Archie are not in the episode.
Tree tips and wrapping hack
In other episodes of the show, Meghan offers her decorating advice, stating that you want to find the tree’s “lit from within and on the border, right on the outside” and that you want to find the spot where they’re going to find their light.
And in a segment named Tips and Tricks for Festive Wrapping, Meghan recommends folding “outwardly” rather “inwardly”. She explains: “One technique that’s really fun is just the different way in which you’re folding the paper. If you fold it outwardly instead of inwardly, it creates a different world there.”
The duchess speeds through the method, adding:” A little bow right there could be awfully darling. For a “tone on tone” look, Meghan also reveals how much she enjoys adding a pre-made wax seal and how the color matches the wrapping paper. The smallest detail suddenly seems higher, she claims.
Meghan adds:” Another anomaly for people at the holidays is: how on earth to wrap a wine bottle? She recommends using a scarf in a Japanese furoshiki way.
Additionally, she creates a rectangular cracker made of paper to encase challenging shapes like cuddly toys. The duchess also cracks a number of food-related jokes, saying:” Beets, beets, beets. Drop that beet, “and:” This resembles fondue. Nobody has ever said “fon-don’t” like it.
Brunch in pyjamas
Lindsay Roth and Kelly McKee Zajfen, Meghan’s pals, are the only guests in the Christmas special. The two women make unique Christmas wreaths together with the Duchess.
But beforehand, Meghan wants to make them a special Christmas brunch and agrees to appear on camera in a pair of bright red pyjamas with the letter M on the pocket.
She says to the camera, “Well, she’s wearing pyjamas gang,” as she prepares some quiches and a cinnamon bun that looks like a star. This is how much I love my friend. On a television program, why do I wear pyjamas?
“My dear friend Lindsay and I have been friends since we were 17 years old. Linds has a tradition with her family of always wearing matching pyjamas for the holidays So, for the love of Linds, they forced me to wear pyjamas for this brunch to honour her tradition”.
Not-so-perfect
The duchess makes gougeres with cacio e pepe, French cheese puffs made with black pepper and festive cinnamon, tiny quiches, and “Reindeer chow,” a sweet treat renamed after Meghan’s childhood favorite, which includes two cups of powdered sugar, two cups of powdered sugar, and an unnamed cereal.
Meghan also emphasizes the value of making mistakes and not making them perfect, remarking, “I get so upset about everything being perfect that you lose the magic that even happens in the mistakes.”
And she shares her love of Christmas trees, revealing: “There’s just something about it that, in one area in your house, you’re able to really encapsulate your family story, really feel the passage of time and the different chapters of your life through the ornaments”.
Source: Mirror
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