What makes a person influential? Not an 鈥渋nfluencer,鈥 as we鈥檝e come to know them, but a person whose very essence people naturally want to emulate?
I鈥檇 argue it鈥檚 an imperfect alchemy of talent, taste and authenticity, a tangle of both measurable and intangible qualities that make a person magnetic, cool and prone to being copied. Martha Stewart showed audiences she was a visionary hostess, chef and crafting aficionado, but her often dry wit and polished esthetic kept people wanting more. Crucially, she hasn鈥檛 always been liked, but she has always been a subject of fascination and interest 鈥 and hasn鈥檛 had to fake it.
Sure, other competencies contribute to what makes a person go viral or become famous-famous today 鈥 like marketing skills and sheer tenacity 鈥 but the special sauce that attracts people and makes them want what you have can鈥檛 be bought or taught. And Meghan Markle, whose new Netflix series 鈥With Love, Meghan鈥 reads like a one-dimensional billboard for her forthcoming As Ever product line, is proof of that. She might have some natural talents (like acting?) and a work ethic that鈥檚 motivating her to pursue mainstream success, but she hasn鈥檛 put the time in to proving she鈥檚 an expert chef or arbiter of taste 鈥 alas, liking to garden and producing your own honey with the help of a professional beekeeper aren鈥檛 enough to make you a modern-day Martha or Montecito Alison Roman 鈥 nor does she feel authentic enough to be irresistible. For a series that promises to teach audiences how to infuse one鈥檚 life with everyday magic, it鈥檚 all spark and no flame.
Since leaving the Royal family in 2020, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and her husband,聽Prince Harry, have mostly fumbled attempts to repair their tarnished image and monetize their post-Windsor life. There was a cancelled podcast, a critically panned Netflix documentary about polo and Markle鈥檚 confusing first crack at a jam brand, 鈥淎merican Riviera Orchard,鈥 that has been recently rebranded as a lifestyle brand called 鈥淎s Ever.鈥 For a couple that left royalty behind in pursuit of a more private life, they鈥檝e sure been busy. Can you blame people for being cynical about some of their profit-driven, if tepidly received, projects?
A garden party scene in the final episode, where Prince Harry makes his only cameo in the series.聽
Netflix“With Love, Meghan” rebrands the duchess as a barefoot-in-the-kitchen (literally, at times) hosting expert and modern-day domestic goddess over the course of eight short episodes. Markle is joined by a variety of guests, including friends like makeup artist Daniel Martin and actor Mindy Kaling, in a breezy California kitchen where they cook, bake, craft and throw parties. It鈥檚 all meant to be very down home and organic, but the kitchen? A meticulously decorated rental near Markle鈥檚 Montecito home. The recipes? Nothing new (although Markle鈥檚 breathless commentary on a one-skillet pasta or simple layered cake imply that she鈥檚 been asleep since shutting down her blog, The Tig, in 2014). The wardrobe is a carefully curated mix of 鈥渉igh-low,鈥 as Markle herself tells Kaling, name-checking Zara, Loro Piana and Jenni Kayne in a creamy linen and knit ensemble that reads like something the heroine in a Pasadena rom-com would wear. It鈥檚 all a little too 鈥淣ancy Meyers 101.鈥 And the audience can feel it.
Markle and a beekeeper harvesting honey.
NetflixWhen watching the series with as open a mind as possible (hard to do if you find comments like 鈥渢hey鈥檙e busy bees!鈥 grating), you get the impression that Markle wants to be better understood, to be perceived as authentic and relatable, and to be liked. But sadly, the superficial conversations, faux f锚tes and regurgitated hostessing hacks (yes, we all know the Ziploc-as-a-piping-bag trick) never scratch far enough below the surface to make a difference. The 鈥渃hats鈥 feel scripted, the 鈥減arties鈥 seem forced and the 鈥渢ips鈥 aren鈥檛 fresh. In the series, as in the posts on her recently relaunched Instagram account, Markle is performing the role of the expert hostess who simply cannot wait to share her talents with you. The only problem is, so far, the talents aren鈥檛 unique and the intimate look at her life is dreadfully overproduced.
After facing relentless bullying and countless violations of privacy after her relationship with Prince Harry became public (including her own father selling staged photographs to paparazzi), I understand why Markle wouldn鈥檛 want cameras in her home. So why invite them onto a set version of your home at all, then? The cynic in me can鈥檛 help but muse that Markle isn鈥檛 content enough with being rich and famous 鈥 she wants to be beloved, too.
A rainbow of fruit. Artful food presentation is one of the passions Markle wants to share with viewers.
NetflixAs I watched the series in the wee hours of the morning, I wondered whether Markle would be sharing the recipes she demonstrates on her new website and found myself saying 鈥渆nough with the flower sprinkles!鈥 after she name-dropped a little tub of dried petals no less than four times in the span of two episodes. Like clockwork, just after noon on the day the show dropped, the first As Ever newsletter landed in my inbox. A poke around the website revealed sneak peeks at some of her soon-to-launch products, including fruit preserves (jam is 鈥渉er jam,鈥 after all) and 鈥 you guessed it 鈥 dried flowers marketed as 鈥渇lower sprinkles.鈥 At press time, the website doesn鈥檛 have prices and lets audiences register for an alert when the products are available to shop. As for the recipes? It鈥檚 safe to assume a 鈥淲ith Love, Megan鈥 cookbook is in the works.
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