With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration has premiered on Netflix today (Image: Netflix)
From Christmas crafts to festive feasts, the Duchess of Sussex’s holiday special is brimming with Christmas cheer. The hour-long episode, released on the streamer at 8am today, sees the former working royal embrace UK festive traditions and share sweet anecdotes about her two young children.
She suggests Lilibet is four going on 40 as Meghan reveals she “really likes trying to be a grown-up lady at the moment”, while six-year-old Archie’s favourite colour is red. The overriding theme of the holiday special is that Christmas is a time to reconnect with friends and family and offers us a chance to unwind from our busy lives.
Hosting doesn’t have to be perfect, she says, emphasising “memories vs meals” as guests are more likely to remember having a good time than what they ate.
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This doesn’t stop Meghan from showing viewers how to make guests feel extra special when sitting around the dinner table, and even gives some handy tips on wrapping awkward items such as cuddly toys and wine bottles.
Described as “a magical holiday celebration”, the festive episode opens with Meghan skipping through a Christmas tree farm as The Beach Boys’ cover of Run Run Reindeer is played.
After picking an 8-9ft tree to take home, the Duchess decorates it with golden and brown ornaments – including a sweet tribute to her rescue beagle, Guy, who passed away in January.
“A tree encapsulated your family’s story,” she says. “Feel the passage of time and the different chapters of your life through the ornaments. For me, a tree is part of my memory and love of the holiday season.”
The duchess then rolls her sleeves up as she fills two reusable Advent calendars for her children, adding small packages and sickly sweet handwritten notes such as “I love you because you’re so kind” and “I love you because you’re so brave”.
Meghan Markle opens the show by skipping through Christmas trees (Image: Netflix)
After making some treats in the kitchen, where she talks of “elevating what you eat”, Meghan is joined by her first guest, hospitality expert Will Guidara.
They sit down to make some Christmas crackers, with the Duchess explaining that she’s adopted the tradition after living in the UK, where the popping table decorations are an integral part of festive meals.
Meghan adds a lavender roller ball to her daughter’s cracker, mini burgers and red treats for her son and “a love letter, a chocolate, and a little hat” for her husband.
In the kitchen, Meghan shares a simple recipe for making a festive cinnamon star and other brunch items, such as quiches and baked pears. Unlike earlier episodes, the dishes she chooses seem simpler and easier to recreate at home.
Her friends Kelly McKee Zajfen and Lindsay Jill Roth then join her in matching red pyjamas before they try their hand at making homemade wreaths – and the finished results are impressive.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry kiss twice during the episode (Image: Netflix)
Perhaps the most useful part of the hour-long episode is Meghan’s tips and tricks for festive wrapping. She showcases simple ways to “elevate” them and simply explains how to wrap awkward items and make them look good.
Other guests on the show include Naomi Osaka, the US tennis champion, who joins the duchess in painting a plate and a mug, and chef Tom Colicchio cooks his Christmas Eve salad and salted cod.
Laughing, Meghan tells him that most of the ingredients in the salad – “beets (beetroot), black olives, fennel, anchovies and pickled vegetables – are foods her husband, Prince Harry, hates to eat.
As the Duchess takes charge of the kitchen and shows her guest how to make Gumbo – a thick stew – Harry joins them on set.
“Hi guys, I smell Gumbo,” he says, before leaning in to kiss his wife. Meghan jokes that the stew will be too spicy for him, offering a towel to wipe his sweaty brow.
Meghan Markle makes Advent Calendar’s in the show (Image: Netflix)
After tasting the dish, Harry quips, “I’m not so sure it is as good as your mum’s, but it’s pretty close”, as he pulls a face at the camera, reminding viewers of the humour he was so famous for as a working royal.
Meghan’s jaw, meanwhile, drops to the ground.
Wrapping up the show, the duchess thanks her husband for joining her and is filmed hosting thank-you drinks for the entire crew.
The special one-off episode, released on the same day the Royal Family welcomes the German President and First Lady to Windsor Castle for a three-day state visit, balances festive fun with personal anecdotes that are sure to please her fan base.
And in a solo clip while decorating iced cookies, Meghan delivers an important message: “Take care of yourself and you will be able to take care of everybody else.”