Critics Slam Meghan Markle’s Netflix Christmas Special In Reviews

Meghan Markle’s much-derided Netflix lifestyle series may have come to an end – but it’s going out in a big way with one last instalment.

Yes, Wednesday morning saw the arrival of With Love, Meghan: Holiday Special, the first (and, presumably, only) festive special in the Duchess of Sussex’s two-season project which has seen her offering tips on everything from cooking and crafting to gardening and generally being a great first.

Seasons one and two of With Love, Meghan were slammed by critics upon their release earlier this year, with many reviews claiming that the show felt out of step with what’s going on in the world, particularly in light of the current social and economic climate.

And – surprise, surprise! – the Holiday Special has also been met with a similarly lukewarm response.

Here’s a selection of what critics are saying about With Love, Meghan’s seasonal swansong…

“That, mercifully, is the end. I feel both offended and harmed, but in the spirit of goodwill I will add a star to my rating in gratitude for the fact that at least we are safe now until next year. God bless us, every one.”

“I said a little prayer before watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. Give me the strength, I muttered, to endure what is to come, and the grace not to give in to despair. I’ve been struggling since the trailer landed a couple of weeks ago, because it opened with Meghan, in wellies, dancing around Christmas trees shouting, ‘Hey-oh!’. Now the whole festive episode has arrived and it is more than we could have hoped for, or done to deserve.”

“You’ll be reaching for the Christmas spirits – make mine a double – within the first five minutes, as Meghan talks us through the basics. ‘Once a year, you get to do the tree thing’. Advent calendars ‘are about having a surprise every day for 24 days until you get to Christmas’. ’Tis the season to wrap gifts. You don’t say!

“This is reminiscent of the advice given by Pippa Middleton in Celebrate, that seminal work of non-fiction produced by the Princess of Wales’s sister, which recommended serving turkey on Christmas Day and going stargazing at night-time because that’s when it’s dark.”

“It’s not a real special by any stretch, but some YouTube content or the radio that you might put on in the background as you do your tree or wrap your presents. White noise to dull the senses. It’s all a little Stepford Wives; not informative, fun, enjoyable or even aspirational.”

“Sometimes, people are given a platform because of who they are, rather than what they can bring, and With Love, Meghan gives me the same feeling as when I am around very wealthy people who think that making a salad with friends makes them ‘grounded’ and ‘relatable’. On the other hand, there’s something soothing, even enjoyable, about the show’s glossy inanity.”

“It’s hardly scintillating stuff, but Netflix has really hit its stride with this special episode of With Love, Meghan. They’re really leaning [into] the frantic energy of its star trying to crack puns without splashing hot oil or butter down her pristine cashmere sweaters. Honestly, the production team must be trolling Meghan here with increasingly bizarre and elaborate set-ups for her to impart hosting ‘hacks’. In fact, are they really hacks? They would make anyone actually hosting Christmas for a big group have a nervous breakdown before the canapes were served.”

With Love, Meghan and With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration are streaming now on Netflix.