How Meghan Markle shows a VERY different side of herself in With Love, Meghan Netflix trailer

Featuring a California chic, laid back wardrobe, cocktail hour and the chirpy soundtrack of the Loving Spoonful, With Love, Meghan could easily be mistaken for a glitzy Nancy Meyers movie.

The director of Parent Trap, It’s Complicated and The Holiday, among other Hollywood blockbusters, favours the Golden State as the setting of many of her films, where female lead characters roam around in bright and airy open plan kitchens with white marble worktops. 

So as Meghan, 43, invites her nearest and dearest into her ‘home’ (which was revealed to be a reality TV mansion down the road) and encourages viewers to find ‘joy’ in every day things in the series which lands on January 15, one could be forgiven for forgetting she also carved out an identity as a high-powered humanitarian after leaving The Firm.

Indeed, in the Sussexes’ first Netflix series, the Duchess appears as an investor focusing on young, up-and-coming women, and an advocate for vaccine equity as she and Harry, both masked-up, attend a United Nations meeting to discuss equal distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic.

When Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in January 2020, they promised to perform a ‘progressive new role’ within the monarchy.

A philanthropic pair from the off, after inviting their wedding guests to donate to charity over giving them gifts, it seemed a natural progression that the Sussexes went on to found the Archewell Foundation, which continues to fund charitable projects around the world.

The couple were even touted as the new Obamas, amid reports days after the ‘Megxit’ announcement that Barack and Michelle themselves had been advising the couple on life outside the royal family.

But as the Duchess rejoins Instagram, steps into the Meyers-esque studio kitchen and invites viewers to ‘create wonder in every moment’, she’s embracing a lighter side of the ‘new role’ she and Harry promised in 2020.

The Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix trailer and Instagram reboot signal a new era for Meghan’s image as she embraces the laid-back Californian image and steps away from the gritty humanitarian missions she has become known for

When the Sussexes announced they were stepping down as senior royals on January 8, 2020, they issued a statement explaining their focus going forward.

The statement read: ‘We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.’ 

Within days, the couple were touted the ‘new Obamas’ by Vanity Fair as they were likened to ex-President and First Lady Barack and Michelle (who also happen to have enjoyed a Netflix deal in the past). 

An article speculating about the Sussexes’ future also made mention of Harry and Meghan’s wedding guests, George and Amal Clooney, who are also known for their humanitarian work.

Meanwhile reports emerged that the Sussexes were being advised by the Obamas and had turned to them for help when they stepped away from The Firm, with Harry and Meghan wanting to model themselves on the former presidential couple.

The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English reported: ‘Their ambition to produce a series of worthy ‘humanistic projects’, attracting participants using their ‘star power’, is a model that is said to appeal hugely to former actress Meghan.’

It’s a mission the Sussexes certainly leaned into during their first Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, which was released in December 2022. 

In the sixth and final episode of the docuseries, Meghan is portrayed as a high-powered humanitarian, chairing meetings with female entrepreneurs, attending UN meetings and sharing the stage with Prince Harry at the Global Citizen Live event.

With Love, Meghan, set to land on Netflix on January 15 promises to ‘elevate the ordinary’ and invites viewers to ‘create wonder in every moment’

The Duchess’s studio kitchen, with a breakfast bar and white marble countertops, looks like it’s been shipped in from the set of a Nancy Meyers film 

She and Harry are deeply focused as they carry out work on the Archewell Foundation from their home office. 

Tim Burt, the strategic advisor to Archewell, said: ‘They wanted to continue with their non-royal patronages and causes around mental health around the environment, around gender equity.’

One clip featured in the documentary is the Sussexes’ acceptance of a civil rights award from the NAACP in 2022.  

Speaking of her philanthropy, Meghan told the film crew: ‘If we’re going to have this glaring microscope on us at all times… if people are looking at us, then look at what we’re looking at.’ 

The clip then cuts to the Duchess speaking in a commencement speech for her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School, where she highlighted the Black Lives Matter cause. Meghan spoke of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice; black people who had been killed by police officers in the US. 

Speaking with passion and authority about reforming society to achieve true racial equality, Meghan said: ‘We are going to rebuild, and rebuild, and rebuild until it is rebuilt.’

Since the first series aired, the couple have continued advocacy work, setting up the Parents’ Network through the Archewell Foundation as they promote careful use of social media for children.

The Duchess presented a very different side to herself in the couple’s 2022 Netflix series Harry & Meghan, where she attended UN meetings

When the couple left The Firm they promised to carve out a ‘progressive new role’ for themselves – something that led them to be awarded an NAACP award

In Harry & Meghan, the Duchess is pictured giving an impassioned speech to students at her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School, about the Black Lives Matter movement

Meghan has also committed to investing in female-led brands; including Cesta Collective, whose products are woven by women in Rwanda.

But 2025 has ushered in a new chapter for the Duchess; her laid back, all-American domestic goddess era.

Announcing her return to Instagram on January 1 in a clip where she ran carefree along the beached and marked ‘2025’ in the sand, Meghan appeared practically bohemian as she donned a loose white shirt and white jeans and remained barefoot.

Body language expert Judi James said of the clip: ‘Meghan’s presentation and her body language in this video suggest some kind of back-to-basics re-boot of her branding and her career.’

‘It oozes the freewheeling, carefree days of her blog The Tig when her “Like me, love me” adorability quota was ramped up to the max and she looked like everyone’s favourite girl about town, with her enviable lifestyle and looks.

‘Her casual white outfit, tousled hair and bare feet seem to suggest the royal/campaigning/image-conscious woman might be stepping back for a while to let the more uncomplicated, free-range, carefree version of Meghan take to the stage again,’ she added. 

One of the Duchess’s first guests is long time friend (and recipient of American Riviera Orchard jam) Mindy Kaling 

A sweet clip shows Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sharing a sweet moment while each enjoying a drink 

The Duchess, 43, bills the series as creating ‘wonder in every moment’ as she shares her tips and tricks on living well

Meghan insists the series is not about achieving ‘perfection’, rather finding ‘joy’ in the little things in life

Mindy jokes about the glamour of being in Meghan’s kitchen as she makes a cameo in the trailer 

The Duchess also brings Alice Waters, a chef, into the series to discuss cooking tips

Meghan, 43, also speaks about learning new skills – including beekeeping – and dons the full gear in a clip 

The trailer for With Love, Meghan, dropped on the Duchess’s new Instagram page on Thursday afternoon – in which she is featured cooking in the open plan kitchen, picks produce in the garden and invites her famous friends, including Mindy Kaling, to enjoy her food.

Posting the trailer on her Instagram account, Meghan wrote: ‘I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it. 

‘Wishing you all a fantastic new year! Thanks to our amazing crew and the team. Beyond grateful for the support – and fun!’

She signed off: ‘As ever, Meghan.’  

Describing the series in an official synopsis, Netflix says: ‘In With Love, Meghan, we join Meghan in the kitchen, garden — and even at the beehive — as she prepares to host friends both old and new. 

‘Sharing some of her favorite tips and tricks for cooking, gardening, crafting, and more, Meghan reveals how even the most minute details can help add beauty to our lives and, most importantly, help bring people together. 

‘Whether it’s preparing take-home gifts for guests or adding a sprinkle of edible flowers to breakfast, it’s truly the thought that counts.’

Speaking in the trailer, Meghan says: ‘I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it, surprising people with moments that let them know I was really thinking of them.

‘I’m going to share some little tips and tricks and how you incorporate these practices every day.

‘This is about connecting with friends… We’re not in the pursuit of perfection we’re in the pursuit of joy.’

The trailer, popping full of colour as Meghan shows off her California country wardrobe in linen and denim and embraces her lifestyle guru era, is a stark contrast to her persona as a humanitarian advocate fighting for equal access to vaccines around the world. 

Meghan’s philanthropy and the work of the Archewell Foundation no doubt continues behind the scenes while she flexes her muscles in the lifestyle and wellness sphere.

Her year is off to a flying start, having racked up well over a million Instagram followers already and with viewers eager to see what her Netflix series has in store.

So as fans go wild for her kitchen tips, will 2025 be the year Meghan completes her evolution into the Domestic Duchess? Watch this space.