Meghan Markle boasts she loves to plate her Chinese takeaway ‘beautifully’ in interview to promote her make-or-break Netflix cookery show

The Duchess of Sussex has revealed one of her favourite tips for elevating an ordinary dinner ahead of her make-or-break new television show: order a Chinese takeaway, but ‘plate it beautifully’.

In an interview with People magazine in the US, Meghan says she will encourage viewers to strive for ‘balance, not perfection’ and doing things – even, it seems, a Friday night take-out – ‘with love’.

Citing Chinese as a favourite food delivery option, she says: ‘I like being able to do a hybrid but even when I get a takeout, I will try to plate it beautifully.’

She also says she has no regrets about giving up her lifestyle website The Tig and deleting her Instagram account when she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, explaining: ‘Well, I loved The Tig, but I certainly love my husband more. So that was a choice I made at the time, and I wouldn’t change that for a second.’

With Love, Meghan streams on Netflix from Tuesday morning and has been billed as Harry and Meghan’s last chance to save their multi-million deal with the entertainment behemoth after a string of flops.

The duchess last week boasted that Netflix were also her ‘business partner’ in a new product range to accompany the series.

After the failure to secure copyright branding for her original idea, American Riviera Orchard, she now intends to use the trademark ‘As Ever’ on everything from pancake mix to dog treats.

Meghan Markle has revealed she likes to plate a Chinese takeaway ‘beautifully’ ahead of her make-or-break new Netflix show

Meghan seen pouring egg into a ceramic dish on her upcoming show With Love, Meghan

The new series has been billed as Harry and Meghan’s last chance to save their multi-million deal with the entertainment behemoth after a string of flops

In her People interview Meghan dismisses the debacle simply as ‘a learning curve’ and ‘figuring it out in real time’.

‘There are tons of twists and turns – even with the name, ‘ she said.

‘I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also be forgiving with myself through that. It’s a learning curve.’

Accompanied by photographs of herself seemingly taken during last year’s shoot at a borrowed home in Montecito – including with her late dog, Guy – the duchess also gives new insight into her home life in California with her husband and their two children, Prince Archie, five, and three-year-old Princess Lilibet.

She says she was cuddled up with Archie in bed as she finalised plans for her new brand, when the youngster woke up and told her: ‘Mama, don’t work too hard.’

‘It was the sweetest thing,’ she says.

The magazine attempts to paint a picture of a devoted mother and businesswoman, making a point of mentioning how Lilibet had apparently fallen sick when she was in Vancouver last month with Harry for his Invictus Games.

Meghan says she stayed in ‘close touch’ with her mother, Doria, who was looking after the children, and ‘making sure they were seen by the doctors and sipping bone broth’.

While there have been calls in the UK to strip Harry and Meghan of their ‘Sussex’ titles, given to them as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth, as they have now quit both royal duties and the UK, Meghan insists that the name still holds meaning to her.

‘It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognised how meaningful that would be to me until we had children. I love that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me,’ she insists.

‘[It]is part of our love story.’

The duchess says their life in California is centred around their children, socialising largely with old friends or the parents of children they have met on play dates. She says all are protective of their privacy.

‘Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is,’ she insists.

‘We go to a lot of dinners, and not just in people’s homes or private rooms; we just got into the restaurant. I really love that we can just have fun,’ she adds.

The duchess last week boasted that Netflix were also her ‘business partner’ in a new product range alongside her series

Meghan was interviewed ahead of her Netflix show being released on Tuesday. Pictured is her on the front cover of People magazine

Meghan is pictured with husband Prince Harry, who is set to briefly appear in the final episode of her new Netflix show 

The duchess adds that she goes out to yoga classes with ‘40 to 50’ people in them and is treated just like a local.

She describes starting her new business venture as ‘super joyful’ and ‘almost playing in your own sandbox’, enabling her as ‘a woman, a mom and a wife, to be able to find yourself again’.

The magazine also suggests that there is ‘no mention of anything royal’ in the series and that Harry himself only makes a ‘fleeting appearance’ in the final episode, although it says ‘his presence was felt behind the scenes’.

It describes him frequently visiting his wife on set and an unnamed crew member as saying ‘it was clear he wanted this to be Meghan’s moment to shine’.

However he does feature in several pieces of publicity for the show, both official Netflix teasers and on his wife’s Instagram account.

Meghan also says Harry has a ‘spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me’.

The lifestyle show consists of eight, half-hour episodes showing the duchess ‘cooking, crafting and gardening’ with ‘friends and chefs’ while ‘sharing personal stories and recipes’.

She says that the name With Love, Meghan, was invented by a friend who visited the set described it as a ‘love letter to all the things you’ve loved to do’.

Although some have questioned why Meghan chose not to film a series so heavily pegged to her own lifestyle at the couple’s £10 million Montecito mansion, the duchess insists this was never a viable option as she considers it is a ‘safe haven for her ‘close-knit family’.

However she says the whole family visited her regularly on set, with Archie trying his hand at using the clapperboard.

‘It was really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work,’ she said.

‘I hope when they get old enough, they feel really proud that they were part of the beginning of this with me.’

She also says she wants to teach ‘my own little girl…what it is like to be a working mom’.

The Duchess of Sussex is seen using edible plants while adding the finishing touches to one of her puddings 

Meghan opened up in the article about her family life. She is pictured with the Sussexes’ beloved beagle, Gus

‘With Love, Meghan’ lands on Netflix on Tuesday morning and aims to show a new side to the Duchess of Sussex

The Duchess says she rises early every day to cook breakfast for her family – fried eggs being a favourite of Harry and Archie – but adds that it is ok to put ‘a frozen waffle in the toaster and call it a day’.

She has also, she reveals, continued a family tradition called ‘Mama Meals’, making signature weekly dinners for her children that she wants them to pass onto their own offspring one day.

As for husband, the duchess says she and Harry frequently enjoy ‘day dates’, sharing a quiet lunch together, or ‘nightcap recaps’ as they enjoy a drink and make lunchboxes, or catch up on a box set together.

As for her future plans, she says that her new podcast with Lemonada Media will also air this spring after the couple’s previous deal with Spotify was canned.

She adds: ‘I see myself as an entrepreneur and a female founder and if the brand ends up influential, then that’s great.’