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

0:03 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 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 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.

0:58 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 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 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.

1:46 If it works for them, then they should do it. 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 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 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 that at the time, her main joy was a practical one.

2:57 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 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 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.

3:58 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 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 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 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 the reviewers were entirely negative. The BBC's Sean Coughlin called

5:29 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 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 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.

6:24 He's feeling more isolated than ever one, inside It claimed, noting that Meghan starts her day before sunrise and shoulders 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 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 wrong thing, such as whose house is this? Why are you pretending you've never practiced any of this stuff before?

7:20 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 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 these activities. In episode one, she launches into some competitive flower.

8:00 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 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. I think they've done about as much damage as they can.

8:42 And there you have it. If you'd like to email us our addresses of the Palacentric at gmail dot com. Please follow us a Spotify and Apple and the app your choice. And we are now on Facebook and Instagram, Yes, very two thousand and eight of us, and you can find the show there along with other updates and specials and your comments, and we hope that you join and be part of the community. You can find the page on Facebook pages just look for Palace Intrigue or just click the link that's in our show notes. My Frances my, thanks to John mcdermoy. This is Palace Intrigue and good terms