The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about her health as she returned to TV on Tuesday
Meghan Markle at Queen Elizabeth II funeral (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about the emotional toll of being away from her children for nearly three weeks, admitting she was “not well”. In the second season of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, she did not specify the dates, but there is speculation that she might be referring to the period when the Sussexes unexpectedly stayed in the UK following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
In the latest eight-episode series of her lifestyle and cooking programme, which was released on Tuesday, Meghan shares what she misses most about the UK, admits she’s not a fan of baking, and recounts how she made a “truly terrible” roast chicken on the night Harry proposed.
The former Suits actress empathises with Queer Eye star Tan France, who reveals he feels heartbroken if he’s away from his two young children for more than a few days, as she discusses her own separation from Archie and Lili.
A serious-looking Meghan responds, nodding and looking upwards: “Oh I know. The longest I went without being around our kids was almost three weeks.
“I was,” she says before pausing “…not well.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor(Image: Getty Images)
The Duke of Sussex has opened up about the “difficult days” following the Queen’s death in his memoir, Spare. He detailed how he and Meghan were separated from their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for “longer than we’d ever been”, and upon reuniting in California, they “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, were mourning the loss of Elizabeth II, the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, in September 2022. This was against a backdrop of strained relations with Harry and Meghan.
In an ITV interview, Harry revealed there was a “really horrible reaction from my family members” when the Queen passed away, citing “the briefings and the leakings and the planting”.
He made a solo trip to Balmoral in a last-minute attempt to see his grandmother before her death. Despite his brother, now the Prince of Wales, ignoring his texts, Harry claimed in his autobiography that Meghan stayed in Windsor after the now-King asked him not to bring his wife to Scotland.
The Sussexes had left their children, three-year-old Archie and one-year-old Lili, in the care of Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in LA. They had travelled to Manchester for a One World Summit on September 5 2022, before heading to Dusseldorf for an Invictus event and then returning to London.
They were forced to prolong their visit when Harry’s grandmother passed away on September 8, staying on to make several public appearances including meeting mourners alongside William and the Princess of Wales at Windsor despite the siblings’ feud, and attending the September 19 funeral.
The Waleses and the Sussexes prepare to greet mourners outside Windsor Castle in 2022(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
The duchess, who relocated her family to America five years ago after stepping back from Royal duties, also reveals to Tan France that it’s the easy listening radio station, Magic FM, that she yearns for most from Britain.
Meghan said: “Honestly one of the things I miss the most about the UK is the radio station called Magic.”
Tan said: “Magic FM. Wow! Now sorry to say this to you publicly, but that’s such a grandma station.”
A chuckling Meghan responds: “I’ll be that grandma”. Magic FM declined to comment.
With Love, Meghan adopts the same structure as its critically-panned debut series, featuring the duchess preparing meals and creating crafts with companions including American model and television personality Chrissy Teigen, podcaster Jay Shetty and his cookbook author spouse Radhi Devlukia, and chefs Samin Nosrat, Clare Smyth, Christina Tosi, Jose Andres and David Chang. Meghan, who is credited as an executive producer of the programme, creates homemade takes on McDonald’s hot apple pies, the American cheese biscuits Cheez-Its and salt and vinegar crisps, whilst serving up drinks including a “lavender grey latte” crafted from earl grey tea, lavender, and frothy honey and vanilla milk.
The series also offers glimpses into her family life, though Harry, Archie or Lili don’t appear in person – a contrast to the previous series where the duke was filmed celebrating with Meghan at a party in the concluding episode.
Harry appears solely in photographs – including dancing with Meghan at their wedding reception and meeting chef Smyth, who catered the couple’s Frogmore House evening celebration, off camera.