Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, features the Duchess of Sussex welcoming famous friends to a stunning California estate, where she shares her cooking, gardening and hosting tips.
The show comes ahead of the launch of her brand, As Ever, also in partnership with Netflix, offering herbal teas, honey crepe mix, flower sprinkles, shortbread butter cookies, wildflower honey, and her signature raspberry jam.
However, this isn’t Meghan’s first foray into the lifestyle scene.
Before marrying Prince Harry in 2018, she founded a successful blog called The Tig, which she ran for almost three years.
A ‘passion project’ she developed while starring in the US drama series Suits, The Tig became a well-known platform where Meghan shared personal insights alongside content on travel, food, fashion and dining recommendations.
However, according to bestselling author Tom Bowers, the content on The Tig did not always accurately reflect Meghan’s personal life or, at times, even her values.
In his book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors, he writes: ‘As a purely commercial venture she understood her market and how to compartmentalise between her real life and the fantasy life she offered her increasing number of followers.
‘Conjuring fantasies was her unique selling point.’
Before marrying Prince Harry, Meghan Markle founded a successful blog called The Tig, which she ran for almost three years
With Love, Meghan, features the Duchess of Sussex welcoming famous friends to a stunning California estate, where she shares her cooking, gardening and hosting tips
Likewise, Meghan has faced criticism for portraying an unrealistic lifestyle in her new show, where she wears glamorous, often white, outfits while carrying out simple kitchen tasks.
According to Mr Bower, it took Meghan a year to ‘successfully’ become an influencer with The Tig.
As part of her strategy to capitalise on her celebrity status, the former actress closely studied Hollywood’s elite to ‘absorb and copy’ their success.
And it seems that she may have taken a similar approach with her Netflix series, since viewers drew several comparisons between the show and former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson’s series, Pamela’s Cooking With Love.
Meghan’s blog, which launched in 2014 and closed eight years ago today, was named after her favourite Tignanello wine.
Embracing the role of editor-in-chief, she used the website to share her views on topics ranging from feminism to her passion for philanthropy.
She also shared recipes, make-up and beauty tips, travel advice, and interviews with celebrity friends, including Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra.
Meghan’s daily routine involved leaving early for the studio, spending the day filming, then heading to the gym. In the evenings, she would browse the internet for inspiration.
Meghan’s blog, which launched in 2014 and closed eight years ago today, was named after her favourite Tignanello wine
The Duchess also appears to enjoy a tipple or two in her new Netflix series
A candid snap of Meghan embracing nature appeared on The Tig, alongside her New Year’s Resolution for 2016
The former actress showcases her outdoorsy Californian lifestyle in With Love, Meghan
Suits co-star Abigail Spencer (centre) was among those Meghan managed to round up for the show
She reached out to luxury brands, requesting free products in exchange for promoting them, and sent numerous emails to celebrities requesting endorsements.
‘To build her credibility, she needed to be associated with stars – if possible with a photograph to prove their friendship,’ pens Mr Bower.
‘The celebrity hunter’s strength was to seize every opportunity and never take “no” for an answer.’
Meghan first crossed paths with tennis supremo Serena Williams at a charity football match in New York in 2014.
On her blog, she described their meeting, saying they ‘hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing’, but their conversation wasn’t about tennis or acting – it was about ‘good old-fashioned girly stuff’.
Meghan wrote about how they were ‘united by their endless ambition’, though no photos suggesting this ever surfaced.
Similarly, in her Netflix series, Meghan hosts actress and comedian Mindy Kaling, who she has only met in person once before, yet insists they are great friends.
In episode two, however, she didn’t seem to appreciate Mindy calling her ‘Meghan Markle’.
Meghan first crossed paths with Serena Williams (centre) at a charity football match in New York in 2014
Meghan launched The Tig while she was playing the character of Rachel Zane in the US drama series Suits
As part of her strategy to capitalise on her celebrity status, the former actress closely studied Hollywood’s elite to ‘absorb and copy’ their success
Meghan’s husband, Prince Harry, only made a brief appearance at the end of the new Netflix series
‘It’s so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I’m Sussex now,’ she awkwardly responded.
When Mindy appeared confused, Meghan continued: ‘You have kids, and you go, “No, I share my name with my children.” I didn’t realise how meaningful it would be, but it means so much to say, “This is our family name. Our little family name.”‘
After being corrected, Mindy replied: ‘Well, now I know and I love it.’
This moment may reflect Meghan’s ‘tried and tested formula,’ according to Mr Bower, of creating intimate, personal narratives that may not always align completely with the full truth.
On her defunct website, Meghan presented herself as a ‘racy Hollywood figure’, expressing her love for fine food, ‘copious amounts of rosé, spicy tequila cocktails and neat Scotch.’
Indeed, she certainly appears to enjoy a tipple or two in With Love, Meghan.
She also previously portrayed herself as a ‘saintly hippy’, criticising fancy restaurants while claiming to be great company, ’embracing every little second of it’.
Similarly, in her Netflix series, Meghan continually emphasises the ‘joy’ she associates with the show. ‘We’re not in the pursuit of perfection, we’re in the pursuit of joy,’ she insists.
While running The Tig, Meghan met Cory Vitiello, a Toronto chef and restaurant owner, with a notable clientele.
After dining at his restaurant with her Suits co-stars, she wrote an enthusiastic review on her blog, calling him ‘my favourite chef’.
Cory began dating Meghan after ending his previous relationship. He introduced her to ‘everyone’ in Toronto, while the couple rented a three-bedroom home in the Annex district.
Much like Prince Harry, who only made a brief appearance at the end of With Love, Meghan, Cory never appeared on The Tig.
‘Keeping Cory anonymous was compatible for her own search for fame,’ Mr Bowers explains.
Meghan closed The Tig in 2017, shortly before announcing her engagement to Harry.
She described it as having ‘evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity’.
