Inside Meghan’s friendship with Mindy Kaling: The Office star became the Duchess’ biggest cheerleader after bonding over being ‘latchkey kids’ and Archie comics
Meghan Markle has kicked off 2025 with a brand new Netflix show that will feature several of the Duchess of Sussex‘s famous California pals.
After relaunching her private Instagram account on New Year’s Day, Meghan, 43, dropped the first trailer for ‘With Love, Meghan’ – her long-awaited lifestyle series that is part of the Sussexes’ multimillion-dollar Netflix deal.
In each episode of her cooking show ‘With Love, Meghan’, the former Suits star invites friends old and new to roll up their sleeves and join her in the kitchen, or garden, as they share candid conversations and their top tips for hosting get-togethers.
Friends like The Office star Mindy Kaling, who has enjoyed a close friendship with Meghan since appearing on the Duchess’ now-cancelled Spotify podcast Archetypes in 2022.
As seen in its trailer, the 45-year-old actress will also make a special appearance in ‘With Love, Meghan’ – a sign of the pair’s enduring friendship.
In one scene, Mindy appears visibly impressed with Meghan’s culinary chops after she is served a slice of Victoria Sponge cake.
‘What! This is probably one of the most glamorous moments of my life,’ she quips.
Meghan and Mindy forged a close relationship after they recorded an episode of Archetypes, titled ‘The Stigma of the Singleton’.
In each episode of her cooking show ‘With Love, Meghan’, the Duchess of Sussex invites friends old and new to roll up their sleeves and join her in the kitchen, or garden, as they share candid conversations and top tips
Friends like The Office star Mindy Kaling , who has enjoyed a close friendship with Meghan since appearing on the Duchess’ now-cancelled Spotify podcast Archetypes in 2022
In one scene of the show’s trailer, Mindy appears visibly impressed with Meghan’s culinary chops after she is served a slice of Victoria Sponge cake
During their nearly 40-minute chat, Mindy spoke to the Meghan about ‘the joys, challenges, and stigmas of her life as a single, unmarried woman’ as well as her decision to start a family on her own.
The Emmy winner welcomed her first child, daughter Katherine Swati, seven, in 2017.
Three years later, Mindy announced she had secretly given birth to her son, Spencer Avu, four, on September 3, 2020.
She is also a mother to her youngest child, six-month-old daughter Anne Kaling, who was born in February 2024.
Mindy, who is fiercely private about her family, has never revealed the identity of the father of her children.
In the opening segment of the Archetypes episode, Mindy admitted to Meghan that ‘I don’t do podcasts’ and ‘I was really nervous’ about appearing on the show.
She continued: ‘I want to be really honest when I speak and, sometimes when you’re honest, it can p*** people off.’
Meghan, who has candidly spoken about her and Prince Harry’s life as senior royals on multiple occasions, added: ‘I happen to think Mindy Kaling’s honesty is what makes her and her work so powerful.’
Minky Kaling poses with Prince Harry at the BetterUp Uplift summit at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, California, in a photograph the actress posted on Instagram last night
Mindy joked that she ‘met her friend’s husband at a work event’ in the Instagram post
She praised her friend as ‘candid, genuine, and really funny’ before Meghan and Mindy embarked on a long conversation about what it means to be a single woman in 2022 – and ‘jokingly being archetyped the spinster’.
She also defended Mindy’s right not to disclose who the father of her children is – amid intense press and fan scrutiny – during the episode.
‘Mindy’s a really private person and, despite pressure from the public and the media, she’s worked especially hard to maintain that privacy around her kids,’ Meghan said.
‘Ignoring all the speculation around details of their lives and even of their conception. Which, by the way, how is that anyone’s business?’
Since relocating to Montecito, California, Prince Harry and Meghan have guarded the privacy of their own children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three – including keeping their faces concealed as far as possible.
This included not showing the toddlers’ faces in their latest Christmas card, ahead of Archie and Lilibet starting school.
It appears Meghan and Mindy bonded over their style of parenting – with both mothers working hard to keep their young children out of the spotlight.
During Mindy’s episode of Archetypes, they also connected over growing up as ‘latchkey kids’, their shared love of Louise Fitzhugh’s novel Harriet the Spy, and collecting Archie comics.
The Duchess of Sussex has officially teased her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, on her new Instagram account
At one point, Mindy quipped that Meghan ‘likes redheads’ in a joint reference to the protagonist of the comic books, Archie Andrews, and the Duke of Sussex.
Since appearing on the podcast over two years ago, Mindy has ensconced herself in Meghan’s close-knit circle of famous friends across the pond.
The comedy writer and showrunner, also famous for Never Have I Ever and The Mindy Project, was one of the first recipients of Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard Jam when the Duchess teased her lifestyle brand last March.
In what is perhaps a sign of the pair’s closeness, Mindy was part of an ultra-exclusive group of 50 people who received limited-edition jars of the $5-jam as part of the brand’s soft launch.
Mindy showed her support for Meghan’s then-new venture with a gushing Instagram Story declaring she was ‘obsessed’ with the strawberry jam.
Other recipients of the preserve included actress Tracee Ellis Ross, model Chrissy Teigen, and Kardashian matriarch and reality TV star Kris Jenner.
Meghan’s former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer as well ‘fellow polo wife, Delfina Blaquier (wife of Prince Harry’s pal Nacho Figeras) were also on the PR list for American Riviera Orchard.
Days before Mindy shouted out Meghan’s newest lifestyle endeavour (before she married Prince Harry, the Duchess owned and ran The Tig blog), she bumped into Prince Harry at a summit held by BetterUp – the mental health organisation he is associated with.
A sweet clip from the promo for the soon-to-be released ‘With Love, Meghan’ shows Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sharing a sweet moment while each enjoying a drink
Prince Harry is the embattled company’s ‘Chief impact officer’ and reportedly receives a million-dollar salary to ‘advocate for mental fitness’ and ‘guide the company’s social mission’.
The San Francisco-based mental health firm has sparked controversy after past and present employees described BetterUp as a ‘toxic train wreck’ and ‘psychologically unsafe place to work’ where ‘everyone is uncomfortable and living in fear’.
The Duke of Sussex has been associated with the digital coaching platform since 2021, with Prince Harry making regular appearances at BetterUp events – including the company’s annual Uplift summit where he ran into Mindy.
Mindy documented their meeting on her Instagram account where she posted a picture of her and Harry – who she jokingly referred to as ‘my friend’s husband’ – posing together.
She also promoted Harry’s memoir controversial 2023 memoir Spare in the caption, writing: ‘Met my friend’s husband at a work event. Seemed pretty cool. Said he wrote a book. Gonna go check it out!’
Along with Mindy, a slew of celebrities will be a part of Meghan’s new Netflix series, including Abigail, Delfina, chefs Roy Choi and Alice Waters, and Meghan’s make-up artist Daniel Martin.
Prince Harry also makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the promo for his wife’s new Netflix show that launches on January 15.
Set to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Do You Believe in Magic, its trailer shows Meghan cooking in a glitzy, rented kitchen in Montecito, which MailOnline recently revealed is located close to her own home in the Californian suburb.
Meghan’s long-time friend and Suits co-star Abigail Spencer makes an appearance in the series where she eats one of the Duchess’s recipes
Cocktail hour! Meghan prepares party drinks for her friends which appear to be garnished with orange slices and salt rims
Another of Meghan’s glamorous pals to make an appearance in the trailer is fellow polo WAG Delfina Blaquier, who is married to Nacho Figueras
The Duchess also brings Alice Waters, a chef, into the series to discuss cooking tips
The Duchess invites several guests into her Montecito kitchen, including chef Roy Choi, who jokes he and Meghan are ‘family’
The kitchen sets the stage for Meghan to show off her cooking, baking, cocktail making, flower arranging and party planning skills, while hosting friends across the property’s stunning rooms, garden and orchards.
The Duchess of Sussex said she was ‘so excited’ to share the series with her followers, a day after her new Instagram account posted its first reel to ring in 2025.
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.’
