Meghan Markle is sharing behind-the-scenes details about filming her new Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” ahead of its anticipated release. The upcoming show, which will mark the former “Suits” star’s return to television, is a lifestyle series that will feature celebrity friends and chefs cooking with the Duchess of Sussex in her kitchen. In each of the eight 33-minute episodes, Markle will also share lifestyle and culinary tips. “With Love, Meghan” was originally supposed to premiere on Jan. 15 but was delayed due to the deadly California wildfires at the time. Now, the show will premiere on Netflix March 4, and Markle is revealing how the filming process worked for her private family in a recent interview with People. When Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, stepped back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family in 2020, they eventually relocated to a home in Montecito, California. While the teaser for “With Love, Meghan” shows the mom of two cooking in a kitchen and snipping vegetables from her garden, she reveals to People that most of the scenes weren’t filmed at the actual home where she, the Duke of Sussex, 5-year-old son Archie and 3-year-old daughter Lilibet reside. She confirmed to the publication that filming took place at a nearby rental, instead. “I wanted to protect that safe haven,” Markle shared. “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments — putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day. Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!” But she said that there will be scenes filmed in the family’s chicken coop, garden and orchard. The proud mom added that Archie also visited the set and used the filming clapboard in between takes. Lilibet stopped by, too. “They would also come with my husband and visit me on-set, and I loved that my children were able to watch me working and see the balance of that and understand what Mama does and is working to create and share,” she continued. “It was really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work.” She said that her husband also hadn’t seen her work in the lifestyle and creative space since they started dating. Markle previously ran a blog called "The Tig" that she shut down in April 2017 before she and Prince Harry shared their engagement news. In addition to “With Love, Meghan,” she also recently renamed her lifestyle brand to As Ever. “My husband met me when I had 'The Tig,' and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,” she told People. As for what fans can expect from the show, Markle described the series as a “communal experience.” “It feels as though we’re just spending time together, which is what it ended up being,” she said about making the show with the large crew. “I’d make a recipe and say, ‘Everyone try this,’ and there are certain dishes where you just watch everyone flock in. I’d say, ‘We’ve run out of spoons!’” She added, “It ended up feeling so communal, and that’s the spirit of the show.”
