The Duchess of Sussex has shared that being away from her children for almost three weeks made her feel “unwell.”
In the second season of her Netflix series “With Love,” Meghan did not provide specific dates, but there is speculation that she was alluding to the time when the Sussexes unexpectedly stayed in the UK following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
In the latest eight-episode season of her lifestyle and cooking program, which debuted on Tuesday, Meghan shares what she misses most from the UK, admits she isn’t fond of baking, and recounts making a “very bad” roast chicken on the night Harry proposed to her.
The Telegraph awarded it a two-star review, matching the score from the first season, and noted the duke as “noticeably missing,” questioning: “Has she got Harry trapped in the pantry?”
It mentioned that the series was “slightly less crazy than the first,” but with Meghan appearing “more desperate,” and the content providing “more insensitivity from the Montecito Marie Antoinette.”
The former Suits actor relates to Queer Eye’s Tan France, who says he feels heartbroken if separated from his two young children for more than a few days, as she talks about her own time apart from Archie and Lili.
A solemn Meghan responds, nodding while glancing upward at the ceiling: “I know. The longest time I went without being with our children was nearly three weeks.”
I was,” she says, pausing briefly “…not well.
In his memoir “Spare,” the duke described the challenging period following the Queen’s passing, mentioning how he and Meghan were apart from Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for “longer than ever before.” When they reunited in California, “for days and days we couldn’t stop hugging the children, couldn’t let them out of our sight.”
The royal family, including the King, was grieving the passing of Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-serving monarch, in September 2022, while dealing with a complicated relationship with Harry and Meghan.
Harry mentioned in a later ITV interview that there was a “very negative response from my family members” following the Queen’s passing, including “the briefings, the leaks, and the planting.”
He traveled alone to Balmoral in a last-minute effort to see his grandmother before she passed away, following his brother, the current Prince of Wales, ignoring his messages. However, Meghan stayed in Windsor after the current King instructed Harry not to bring his wife to Scotland, according to his memoir.
The Sussex family left Archie, who was three years old, and one-year-old Lili in the care of Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in Los Angeles. They had traveled to Manchester for a One World Summit on September 5, 2022, then went to Dusseldorf for an Invictus event, and finally returned to London.
They were forced to prolong their visit after Harry’s grandmother passed away on September 8, staying behind to participate in several public events, such as welcoming grieving individuals with William and the Princess of Wales at Windsor, even amid the brothers’ disagreement, and attending the funeral on September 19.
The duchess, who relocated her family to the United States five years ago following her exit from the active monarchy, also mentions that she misses the UK’s easy listening radio station, Magic FM, the most.
“Frankly, one of the things I miss the most from the UK is the radio station named Magic,” says Meghan, who initially intended to seek British citizenship after marrying Harry.
France jokes: “Magic FM. Wow! I’m sorry to say this in front of you, but that’s really a grandma station.”
A laughing Meghan responds: “I’ll be that grandma.” Magic FM did not provide a statement.
With Love, Meghan maintains the same structure as its first series, which received harsh criticism, featuring the duchess preparing meals and engaging in creative activities with friends such as US model and TV host Chrissy Teigen, podcaster Jay Shetty, his cookbook-writing wife Radhi Devlukia, and chefs Samin Nosrat, Clare Smyth, Christina Tosi, Jose Andres, and David Chang.
Meghan, listed as an executive producer of the series, creates homemade versions of McDonald’s hot apple pies, the American cheese crackers known as Cheez-Its, and salt and vinegar chips. She also prepares drinks like a “lavender grey latte” made with Earl Grey tea, lavender, and frothy honey and vanilla milk.
She mentions that she would reward herself with a drive-through apple pie from McDonald’s if an acting audition was successful, and adds that cooking and food hold “deep sentimental and meaningful value.”
There are also glimpses into her family life, but no on-camera appearances from Harry, Archie, or Lili – unlike the previous season, when the duke was captured on film celebrating with Meghan at a party in the final episode.
Harry is visible solely through photographs — such as dancing with Meghan at their wedding reception and meeting chef Smyth, who provided catering for the couple’s Frogmore House evening celebration, behind the scenes.
The duchess shares that her children “really want a cat,” although her expression indicates she isn’t fully convinced. She mentions her daughter loves pink—”there’s a lot of pink in my house”—and enjoys chia seeds on her pancakes, while Archie is “the most tender, sweet, and adorable child of all time.”
It was Harry who first expressed his love for her, and she fell for him during their third date, which took place while camping in Botswana, Meghan mentions, also sharing that the duke is not fond of either lobster or cinnamon.
Asked by France about who said “I love you” first, Meghan replied, “He told me,” while blushing and flipping her ponytail with her hand, then added, “She’s still got it.”
Of the chicken she prepared during the night, he proposed in 2017, the duchess admits: “I’ll say that when I made a roasted chicken for my current husband, I was still struggling with converting Celsius and Fahrenheit. I ended up making a terrible chicken that night. I mean truly awful.”
Sharing her “by-heart” recipe, Meghan’s key advice is to remove the skin from the bird and place butter underneath for an extra crispy result, and she roasts her large chicken at 220°C for an hour.
Craft demonstrations involve making resin flower necklaces for her kids, with the flowers chosen to honor their birth months – hawthorn and lily of the valley for Archie, born in May, and roses for Lili, who was born in June.
Meghan also created one for her late dog Guy, who is depicted wearing a forget-me-not necklace on his decorated collar.
The necklace task presents some challenges for American TV personality Teigen, who admits she isn’t aware of her four children’s birthdays and has a tattoo on her arm as a reminder, which she finds difficult to read, prompting her to call her husband, singer John Legend, who is offstage, for assistance.
Meghan, appearing somewhat taken aback, laughs and says, “It’s a bit unclear. That’s fine. You have a husband and a tattoo to keep you focused on everything.”
After gathering flowers for the project, the duchess is overheard laughing as Teigen says, “See – I just purchase these on Amazon.”
In episode three, stylist and host France informs the duchess that her flower sprinkles, available via As Ever and generously featured throughout the show, are “the gayest thing I’ve seen in a while,” with the word “shit” censored, and the comment causing Meghan to laugh heartily.
In the meantime, the duchess employs the term “moving meditation” on two occasions to describe techniques for achieving tranquility, and also mentions to another guest: “I’m considering placing each of us within our comfort zone and outside of it. So I thought we would start with flower arranging.”
She also confesses to chef Christina Tosi while they are making graham crackers (digestives) for S’mores: “Typically, I don’t enjoy baking because it’s so precise.”
Meghan’s As Ever line, introduced in March, features pre-made shortbread cookies and crepe mixes with precisely measured ingredients.
Later, Meghan remarks: “I enjoy the concept of reimagining baking to be somewhat more impulsive.”
The duchess also attends a pottery class with friend and pilates instructor Heather Dorak, getting her hands dirty with clay while still wearing Diana, Princess of Wales’s iconic Cartier watch.
And she goes to a bookstore to gather “a very nice selection” of children’s books, which features a copy of her own illustrated 2021 book The Bench, as a gift for French children.
The second season debuted two weeks following Harry and Meghan’s reduced agreement with the streaming company Netflix.
They have entered into a “multi-year, first-look agreement for film and television projects,” unlike their previously reported 100 million dollar (£74 million) contract from five years ago.
