Meghan Markle Explains Her ‘Real’ Name, Shrugs Off Trad Wife Talk, and Gets Torched by Critics

Meghan insists “Sussex” is the family name, rolls her eyes at the “trad wife” label, and touts flower arranging as “moving motivation.” Season 2 of With Love, Meghan brought Chrissy Teigen, lavender lattes, and craft barns—but the British press called it “Montecito Marie Antoinette,” “a TV programme about watching glue dry,” and “gaslit by a multi-millionaire.” Meanwhile, sources say Harry feels sidelined by Meghan’s brand grind, with critics asking—where’s the Duke?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Calorogus Shark Media that low and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
I am your host, Mark Francis. In a conversation with
Emily Chang, we learn Meghan Michael's real name. You may
recall Meghan caused a stir earlier this year on the

(00:23):
first series of her show when she corrected Mindy Kaling,
who called her Meghan Markel, clarifying that she is Megan
Sussex Now. She added, well, when I got married, I
changed my name, but it is a complicated one for
people to understand because our last name is not typical
in that construct. Emily then pressed if Sussex really was

(00:44):
her last name, and Meghan explained, it's not, but it's
used loosely or roughly. Rather it sounds so silly to say,
and I get it because I'm American. And then I
went there and I started to understand. Then you come
back and as an American, you go, I'm so confused.
It's a dukedom and that's the truth of it. But
at the end of the day, yes, my legal name
is Megan Duchess of Sussex, but Sussex works for us

(01:05):
as our family name, and it is the name we
share with our children. But yes, since we've been married,
that's what I've been called. In the wide ranging interview,
Megan also brushed off criticism of her show and the
label of being a trad wife. She said, really, it
feels odd to me. I hadn't heard that, but I
am really unapologetic about the fact that would it be

(01:26):
lovely to go and churn your own But sure maybe,
but I don't have time for that, and I don't
think you get an extra gold star if you do that.
So for me, it's more about how you show up thoughtfully.
I don't have time to make dinner every night. I
wish I did, but I'm great at ordering takeout and
plaiting it beautifully. I have absolutely no judgment on trad wives.
If it works for them, then they should do it.

(01:48):
But for me, I feel like there is an in between,
and joy for me comes from finding that sweet spot
in the middle. And if you didn't know what a
trad wife was, it's a trade wife. Moving motivation appears
to be a thing in the Megan verse. The Duchess
also used the phrase twice in the new season of
her cooking show. It is apparently about creating calm how

(02:11):
does one become calm? In one segment, she tells her
guests and thinking about putting each of us in our
comfort zone and out of our comfort zone. So I
thought we'd begin with flower arranging. In the second episode
of the newly released Season with Love, Meghan, the Duchess
of Sussex, welcomes Chrissy Tagan to her craft barn, where
the two make pressed flower jewelry and exchange memories from

(02:32):
the set of the American game show they both worked
on nearly two decades ago. Meghan tells Chrissy, I was
thinking about how many moons ago we crossed paths, and
that was past life. That was good old deal or
no deal. I remember us all having to stand in
line to get our lashes put in, Meghan recalled, prompting
Chrissy to chime in in a ziploc bag. Meghan added

(02:54):
that at the time, her main joy was a practical one.
I was just so happy to have health insurance on legend.
Chrissy's husband also makes a brief appearance in the episode.
If the reviews for season two are any indication, it
may be remembered more for lavender lattes and flower sprinkles
than for any meaningful content. Critics across the British press

(03:15):
have wasted no time tearing into the show, calling it
everything from narcissistic to a TV program about watching blue dry.
The Daily Mail's Liz Jones caused the series stage to
fake and dull, but did offer a surprising compliment she
seems genuinely earnest it really is not an act. Jones
described the show as televisual valion, as soothing as warm

(03:37):
chai on a wind swept beach. The Guardian's Lucy Mangan
less generous, gave the show two stars, calling it boring,
contrived and effortlessly whimsical. She joked that if viewers stand
still in Megan's kitchen too long, they'll be covered in
violence and served alongside a mug of gray foam to
a nano celebrity who realizes he hasn't been paid enough.

(03:58):
At the Times, Hillary Rose lostas somewhere between flower arranging
and book binding. It occupies the sweet spot where irrelevant
meets intolerable, an ego trip and a sun hat. Meghan
is pretty and likes roast chicken and flower arranging. That's
an entry for miss World, not ten hours of TV Radio.
Times critic Caroline Frost focused on what she called Meghan's

(04:19):
failure to feel authentic while filming in an eight nion
dollar rented home down the road from her real mansion.
It's as impersonal as a supermarket ad, Frost wrote, calling
the Duchess's efforts to reclaim her voice unconvincing. The Telegraph
dubbed her the Montecito Marie Antoinette, pointing out the notable
absence of Prince Harry and saying the show felt increasingly

(04:40):
weird without him. The paper's verdict, please let it be
the last time. In that review, Anita Singh calls a
series tone deaf because the episode about cocktail making and
Malibu is dedicated to the first responders and victims of
the California wildfires. The Independent gave the show just one star,
comparing it to being gas lit by Amis. Multi millionaire

(05:01):
writer Helen Coffee described the series as like an Ai
was fared every Nancy Meyer's film and instructed to burp
out a TV show. Even Meghan's product die ins have
drawn scrutiny. In one scene, the duchess admits, usually I
don't like baking because it's so measured, a curious confession
given that her as if a brand sells ready measured
baking mixes. The inconsistency didn't go unnoticed. Still, not all

(05:25):
the reviewers were entirely negative. The BBC's Sean Coughlin called
the series escapist, likening it to a glass of something
sparkling on a gray day. More palace in just a moment.
By the way, don't forget to check out Crown and Controversy,
our new royal series. It's coming towards the end of

(05:48):
its first season. There's a new episode available every Sunday.
Season two will be out shortly after, and it will
be available to subscribers ahead of its initial release to
the pub So check it out. Crown and Controversy available
now wherever you get your podcasts like this one. As
Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand as Ever expands its footprint and

(06:09):
returns to the spotlight with a second season of With
Love Megan, sources say Prince Harry is struggling with his
role behind the scenes. According to a report from Radar Online,
the Duke of Sussex is said to be feeling increasingly
isolated as his wife devotes long hours to her business ventures.
He's feeling more isolated than ever one, inside It claimed,
noting that Meghan starts her day before sunrise and shoulders

(06:30):
much of the workload herself, leaving little time for their
previously close knit, homed life. The source revealed that the
couple's current reality differs greatly from the polished image often
projected on social media. Harry's been telling friends, this isn't
the life I thought I was choosing. The inside It
said they only treated time together as sacred. Now, Harry
jokes that he practically has to book a slot with

(06:51):
his wife. Aside from the occasional acknowledgment, she just doesn't
include him the way she once did. The Telegraphs review
that's the one with the wonderful Montecito Marie Antoinnette Line
wonders why Harry doesn't appear in season two. Anita Sing writes,
you wonder if the reason for his absence is that Harry,
not being the sharpest night in the drawer, might step
into this carefully temperature controlled environment and start saying the

(07:14):
wrong thing, such as whose house is this? Why are
you pretending you've never practiced any of this stuff before?
Who makes their own salt and vinegar crisps? Are we
still friends with anyone who came to our wedding? The
series is marginally less mad than the first, Who can
forget Megan throwing a children's party but not inviting any children,
but more needy. When the Chetties mentioned they host a

(07:34):
game to night each Friday for forty friends, you can
see Megan mentally computing how to get on the list.
These friends, Old and U are subjected to a relentless
work schedule. The relaxed to get togethers are run with
ruthless efficiency. The moment a dish goes into the oven,
guests are frog marched to the craft barn to make something.
As luck would have it, Meghan is skilled at all

(07:55):
these activities. In episode one, she launches into some competitive flower.
Her effort is judged to be the best, like a
child who insists on winning the party games her own birthday.
Royle expert Phil Dampier tells the son Meghan I think
is doing her own thing, and this new Netflix series
is evidence of that. There's no sign of Harry in
this program. Maybe he has bigger fish to fry to

(08:17):
spice it up a bit. Megan starts talking a little
bit about her time in the royal family. She drops
a few things here and there and talks about her
time in the UK. I think if there's any opportunity
for them to have another dig, they will use it,
even if it's in a more subtle way. I think
they've exhausted their ammunition in terms of Harry's book, spare
the Oprah Winfrey interview and the sixth part Netflix series.

(08:39):
I think they've done about as much damage as they can.
And there you have it. If you'd like to email
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(08:59):
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terms