Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is poised to drop her new lifestyle show for Netflix – but reports have claimed that since its initial release was postponed a major change has been made

When Meghan, Duchess of Sussex returned to Instagram over the New Year, it caused something of a frenzy amongst royal fans – and shortly afterward she dropped the first trailer for her brand new Netflix show on her profile.

Meghan – who alongside Prince Harry signed a multi-year deal with the streaming giant back in 2020 – is returning to the lifestyle space with a new eight-part series that will see her explore hosting and entertaining tips with the help of some celebrity pals

With Love, Meghan was set to drop in January, but after terrifying wildfires devastated the LA area – where Meghan herself grew up – she and Netflix decided that postponing the release was the most appropriate choice.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement.

Meghan’s decision to postpone her new show was ‘easy’ given ‘catastrophe’ of wildfires ( 
Image:
(Image: Netflix))

Where the Duchess would likely have been focussed on promoting her new offering, which sees her return to familiar territory that she worked in before her marriage to Harry – for many years she ran a popular lifestyle blog called The Tig that covered everything from wellness and food to travel – she instead threw herself into supporting those who had been evacuated and even lost their homes in the devastating blazes.

A new report has claimed that these efforts to help displaced communities will now be included in the series, marking a major change from the aspirational content originally planned, which is said to aim to elevate the every day to the extraordinary.

“It is understood the show is being edited ‘to include Meghan’s philanthropic work around the fires’ which included visiting victims in Altadena, California,” the Daily Mail reported.

However, in some quarters Meghan faced some criticism for her efforts in wildfire relief, leaving one royal expert to point out that in some ways she and Harry are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t”.

After Prince Harry and Meghan’s volunteering efforts were reported, actor Justine Bateman accused the couple of being “disaster tourists” and said they were only there for a “repulsive photo op” – despite the fact that LA is Meghan’s hometown, and other locals were full of praise for her efforts to help.

Harry and Meghan chat to a volunteer
Mayor of Pasadena Victor Gordo was seriously impressed when Harry went above and beyond to help a bedridden elderly man who had been evacuated from his home – and had no idea it was a royal that was giving him a hand – and even went as far as to say that if the Duke were to ever run for office, Harry would have his vote.

For her part, Meghan has also tried her best to make a difference to those affected by the fires. When one 15-year-old girl was left devastated by the loss of her prized possession – a t-shirt from a recent Billie Eilish gig – Meghan tried her hardest through her network of celebrity pals to get the young woman a replacement, and she came good.

In a video she excitedly posted on Instagram, Meghan explained that mutual contacts had gotten her message to the singer-songwriter, who promptly sent over a haul of merchandise for the teenager who had been left homeless after the fire – including a signed copy of her new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

Whilst many royal fans were impressed with Meghan’s efforts to brighten the young girl’s day and praised her, other reviews were pretty brutal, with some criticising her video heavily. One social media user called it “disaster marching” and another said they felt it was “tone deaf”.

Meghan Markle spotted bringing donations to the Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Fund ( 
Image:
altadenagirls/Instagram)“Someone’s lost their home and she is gushing about how amazing she is,” another posted.

Despite criticism on social media for her work, those directly impacted by Meghan’s helping hand are altogether more positive. Avery Colvert, 14, who founded the Altedena Girls charity in response to the devastating fires said to Marie Claire she “just started to break down crying,” upon finding out Archewell – Meghan and Harry’s foundation – wanted to help them.

Avery added, “Meghan is so incredibly kind…She was so excited to help.” The 14-year-old also said she thought the idea Meghan was looking for a photo opportunity was “ridiculous” and said no one accusing the Duchess of this saw just how hands-on Meghan was when she came to help and added that the royal even styled girls with donations and “was there for multiple hours in a day”.