Meghan Markle is explaining why she opted not to film her new Netflix show inside her actual home in Montecito, California.
“I wanted to protect that safe haven,” Meghan, 43, told People in an interview published on Wednesday. March 5. “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments — putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.”
She noted: “Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!”
Meghan and Prince Harry, 40, moved into their coastal property in 2020 after leaving the United Kingdom and their official royal duties behind. They share two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
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With Love, Meghan, produced by the couple’s Archewell Productions, highlights Meghan’s cooking, gardening and more, alongside her celebrity friends. In addition to a brief cameo by Prince Harry, Mindy Kaling, Alice Waters and Abigail Spencer appear throughout the series. Meghan used a rental home for indoor scenes, and filmed outdoor segments in her own garden, orchard and chicken coop.
The show premiered on Monday, March 4, coinciding with the launch of Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.
“Archie did the [filming clapboard]! Sweet moments,” she told People. “They would also come with my husband and visit me on-set, and I loved that my children were able to watch me working and see the balance of that and understand what Mama does and is working to create and share. It was really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work.”
The Duchess of Sussex gushed about her family life in a segment on The Drew Barrymore Show that is due to air on Thursday, March 6.
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“OK, what’s your favorite thing that you see in your kids that you go, ‘Oh, that’s their dad?’” Drew Barrymore asked Meghan.
Meghan replied: “Oh, some of the words that they still say with a British accent, so they’ll say z-e-b-r-a and what else do they say? They have these little moments where it comes out and because they have very American accents, but they say words that are just like him and I think it’s adorable.”
Meghan also told Barrymore, 50, that she incorporates bedtime stories into her kids’ routines when she travels, and will “always pack a really thin book and I’ll videotape myself reading it so whoever’s with them or Papa can say, ‘Here’s mama reading your bedtime story,’” she said.
She added, “You find ways to show up for each other and if that’s the one thing that I can convey through the show or through As Ever as a brand, I want people to know you can show up for each other because you know how good it feels when someone shows up for you.”
