As soon as Meghan Markle‘s Netflix show With Love, Meghan was announced, fans were intrigued by the chance to see the Suits star’s California home. After all, this is where she, Prince Harry, and their two children Lilibet and Archie are living after leaving the royal family, and everyone is curious about what their routine looks like. Also, when viewers saw the trailer, they saw a gorgeous place (and a perfect-looking kitchen).
Well, everyone’s bubble was burst, because Markle filmed With Love, Meghan in a rental, not at her house! In an interview for PEOPLE, she said, “I wanted to protect that safe haven.” She mentioned the “close-knit family” she has and added, “Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family,” and shooting with 80 or more crew members would be “a lot of people to have in your house!”
Although this is no doubt at least a little bit upsetting, it does make sense. Filming a reality/lifestyle series is a huge deal, and even if you try to control the filming schedule, things inevitably go wrong, leading to overtime. That’s not the calmest or loveliest environment for little kids, and the logistics sound pretty exhausting and stressful.
However, although Markle has every right to honor her desire for a private family life, it’s hard not to wonder if renting a house to film in makes With Love, Meghan feel less personal than it otherwise could have. With several famous guests and advice about gardening and cooking, it’s meant to let viewers into Markle’s universe, which is compelling given the scrutiny over her and Prince Harry’s choices over the past few years.
Take Ina Garten, for example. She wrote in her memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens that she built a barn to film her Food Network show in because shooting in her kitchen felt like too much after a while. Shooting took weeks at a time, and it was tough. But Garten’s barn feels like a perfect extension of her brand and captures the same classic and inspiring energy that her Hamptons house and cookbooks have, so this change was no big deal. Watching Markle in a rented kitchen isn’t as exciting as if she was sharing the real place, where she makes pasta on Sunday evenings or puts together a quick lunch when she’s busy.
Although With Love, Meghan was originally scheduled for a January 2025 release, it was delayed until Mar. 4, 2025 because of the Los Angeles wildfires. At least viewers get to see Markle’s orchard, garden, and chicken coop. And, as she shared in her PEOPLE interview, her kids came to the show’s set, which is nice to hear about. She said: “It was really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work.”
Although fans won’t see Markle’s Montecito home, they can at least check out the eight episodes of With Love, Meghan and watch Markle whip up some crudités, create candles from beeswax, work with a beekeeper, and also explain the beauty and convenience of bath salts. Mindy Kaling even shows up, too! Sure, this content might not be for everyone, and some of the reviews aren’t the greatest. But there are a lot of things worse than watching a smiling Markle in her pretty and relaxing garden.
Published: Mar 5, 2025 12:03 pm