Markle responds to fan's concern with handwritten letter
Amber Raiken,
The Independent
Meghan Markle went to extreme lengths to reassure a fan who was concerned about the backlash she'd receive for her new show. Leading up to the release of With Love, Meghan on Netflix, Amanda Hirsch — who hosts the popular Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast — voiced her concerns about the duchess. Hirsch posted a picture of the trailer for the Netflix program in January, with the caption: 'You guys I'm scared for Meghan.' However, on Wednesday, Hirsch revealed that the Duchess of Sussex has responded to her concerns with a handwritten letter.
The podcaster shared a picture of the letter on Instagram, dated March 2025, from the royal. 'Dear Amanda, I heard you are feeling scared,' the note reads. 'Don't be. This is the fun part — let's enjoy it.' Meghan signed the note with the phrase 'As Ever,' which is the name of her new lifestyle brand, and her first name. Amanda Hirsh, who host the 'Not Skinny But Not Fat' podcast shared a photo of the letter from Meghan Markle on Instagram (notskinnybutnotfat / Instagram). Hirsch was stunned by the note, captioning her post: 'OH MY DUCHESS.'
She reiterated her excitement about the letter on her Instagram Story, saying she was 'obviously framing' it and that she was 'beyond shook.'
'Beyond spiraling,' Hirsh continued. 'Did I smell the paper? Yes! Do I want my own monogram? Yes. Am I absolutely flabbergasted and obsessed. YES.' She then tagged Meghan's Instagram account, telling the duchess she had 'a fan for life.' A source has confirmed to The Independent that Meghan sent the letter to Hirsch. On March 4, Netflix aired the first season of With Love, Meghan, which featured famous guests and friends of Meghan in each episode as she offered her best hosting, gardening, and cooking tips. The program was filmed at an estate near her home in Montecito, where she lives with her husband Prince Harry, and their two children: Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
However, the program received some scathing reviews, with The Independent's Katie Rosseinsky calling it 'queasy and exhausting.'
'The only tea that is being spilled here is brewed with fresh mint picked from Meghan's garden, or an allergy-busting concoction containing turmeric and cayenne pepper that she blends up for Martin,' she wrote, giving the show one star out of five. On Monday, Jimmy Fallon even mocked a viral moment in Meghan's show when she transferred pretzels from one plastic bag to a personalised one for a guest to enjoy. While playing the 'Trivia Night' segment on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the host's sidekick Steve Higgins asked: 'What is the number one question that mystifies scientists?'
Fallon responded: 'Is there life on another planet?' Higgins told Fallon he was incorrect, revealing the answer, 'Why does Meghan Markle make her own pretzel bags? They don't know why.'
'That's interesting,' Fallon said, laughing. 'She takes it from one bag and puts it in another bag, and that confuses people.' Amid the jokes and criticism, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defended the Duchess in an interview with Variety on Wednesday. 'We're a passive partner in Meghan's company, and it's a big discovery model for us right now,' he said. When asked what motivated him to 'bet' on Meghan, Sarandos said: 'I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture. When we dropped the trailer for the Harry & Meghan doc series (in 2022), everything on-screen was dissected in the press for days.'
'... People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed.' Netflix struck a $100 million partnership with Harry and Meghan five years ago, producing several projects of theirs including Harry & Meghan (the docuseries), Polo, and Heart of Invictus. The second season of With Love, Meghan is coming out in the fall and has already finished filming.
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