‘Tis the season for festive crafts and cooking in Meghan’s world, as she gears up for her new Netflix Christmas special. But there’s one bold move in her new show that’s got everyone talking
The Duchess of Sussex has sent tongues wagging with the release of her glitzy new Netflix trailer, and there’s one surprise cameo that everyone is talking about.
Meghan has shared a first sneak peek of her upcoming Christmas special, which sees her join celeb pals in cooking, crafting, and decorating for the festive season. It’s the latest release in her downgraded deal with Netflix and comes after the first two seasons of the lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, were largely slated by reviewers.
From prancing around looking at Christmas trees to handpainting festive cookies, the new show offers tips and tricks for hosting and cooking like all of the previous episodes, but there’s one difference – Prince Harry finally makes his debut. The duke, 40, barely appeared in the first series of Meghan’s lifestyle show and wasn’t in the second, but his romantic role in December’s Christmas special hints that we could see more of him this time around.
The couple pack on the PDA in the trailer as they share a quick smooch in the kitchen. Harry is seen tucking into some food before they lock lips. And according to one expert, Meghan is “bringing out the big guns” with this key move.
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Royal editor Rebecca English believes Meghan “wheeled out” Harry to keep interest up in the show. Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, she said: “I’m not a natural conspiracy theorist normally but I’m 100% on this. The previous two series have been critically mauled, I think the first series did better because there was quite a lot of what I’d call rubberneckers and journalists having to watch it on repeat, but the second series really fell pretty flat. And I think she’s [Meghan] trying to kind of bring out the big guns.”
While fans are delighted that Harry has finally made an appearance in Meghan’s show, body language expert Judi James has warned that the Duke himself might not have felt so comfortable. Pointing to subtle tells in the clip, Judi told The Mirror: “It’s Harry’s cameo appearance that might create the discomfort here. He is seen standing front on to camera looking like a very self conscious fish out of water as he holds a small bowl aloft and too high for comfort as he mixes whatever small dollop he has inside it.”
“Has he been invited to stir the pudding at last, having missed out on the four generational royal pudding stirring event that his brother appeared on?” Judi asked. “If so, this looks like a very censorious portion size version.” She is referencing the moment Prince William and Prince George joined the late Queen and then-Prince Charles at a Christmas pudding cooking session in 2019. Harry was notably absent, and swiftly self-exiled from royal life just one year later.
On the couple’s rare show of PDA in the film, Judi said: “But he gets a reward kiss from Meghan for taking part here, as she hooks her hand round his neck before stretching and baring her own neck to plant a kiss that suggests total approval for his rather show-pony appearance in her idealistic version of the Holidays.”
It’s long been claimed that Harry feels somewhat uncomfortable in the glossy celebrity world Meghan has now rooted her career in, and instead flourishes in charity work. Jennie Bond, former royal correspondent at the BBC, previously told The Mirror: “I think he is coming to recognise that the LA celebrity world is one in which he is not especially comfortable. And he seems quite willing to let Meghan take the limelight over there. He speaks frequently about a life of service, and [charity] trips like this certainly serve a very good cause indeed.”
The glossy trailer has released last Wednesday, the same night that Princess Kate and Prince William attended the Royal Variety Show. Throughout the video, Meghan swaps her high-end red carpet garbs for more laid-back, casual outfits. She also gushes about “embracing traditions and making new ones,” hinting at preparations she’s making with her young children Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4.
