What Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show Reveals About Her Split with the Royals

Still, as I watched the first episode, taking notes on everything from Meghan’s impeccable style (like this cute Sézane shirt she wears in the kitchen) to her recipe ideas (you can bet that I’ll be testing out the one-pot spaghetti dish she whips up alongside makeup artist Daniel Martin), my ears pricked up every time there was a subtle mention of her past.

For example, when just a few minutes into episode one, she credits her longtime pal, Daniel, as a person that’s been in her life for “the before, during and after, shall we say.” For the viewer reading between the lines, Meghan seems to very much be hinting at her royal past—the “before” being a nod to her time on Suits and days running the Tig; the “during” meaning her time as a royal, which quickly moved from fairy tale to failure, something that was largely out of her control; then finally the “after,” which is her life as it stands now, happy in Montecito with Harry, Archie and Lili by her side.

There’s more: With Daniel as her sous chef, Meghan whips up a honey lemon layer cake with raspberry (recipe here) as photos from the decadent lemon and elderflower concoction served at her royal wedding to Harry back in May 2018 flash on screen. (It’s revealed that Daniel was at the royal wedding cake tasting, which the pair discuss.) Even a tight shot of her wedding ring (you know, the three-carat stone that Harry sourced from Botswana, where the pair took their first vacation together) as Meghan assembles and frosts serves as an instant reminder of her royal roots.

But this is one element of what makes the series so fun: The hints and subtle references to her royal past as she lives in her new present (and hopefully future with her As Ever brand, which simultaneously launched). What’s unique is that unlike Harry and Meghan, her previous Netflix docuseries, or Spare, where Harry laid it all out on the line, any mention of her royal life skews positive, too. But joy feels like the tentpole of the series, making this the least plausible space to spill the tea on the past. It also underscores that she’s said what she needed to say, and she’s not dwelling on anything negative.

Tea is served—quite beautifully, in fact—like when she and Daniel sip a homemade cup post cooking, cake- and candle-making. With breathtaking views of the Los Padres National Forest in front of them (“I feel like this is all fake,” Daniel jokes), the pair clink their glasses and toast to love. Meghan chimes in, “Can’t end on a better note than that.”

She’s, of course, speaking about the end of their day together. But it feels symbolic and revelatory, too. After all, love is what Harry and Meghan prioritized together when they quit royal life, moved to Montecito and set out to go it on their own, all while navigating a very public family rift. It’s certainly been bumpy, but love wins (a hashtag Meghan herself recently used on her own Instagram account).

If there’s a takeaway or line being drawn about her split with the royals while watching, that’s it.