Skip To...
Meghan Markle offers a behind-the-scenes look at her upcoming Netflix series, celebrating staff and crew members, but made one PR blunder. Since unveiling the first trailer of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, fans have anticipated its official release. The show promises to offer tips on cooking, gardening, and hosting from the duchess herself, “embracing playfulness over perfection,” per Netflix. While pegged to be a great show overall, Markle has encountered a number of challenges ahead of the launch, including the LA wildfires which prompted its rescheduling to a much later date than initially planned. After a not-so-impressive showbiz history since her post-royal foray into Hollywood, many believe this to be Markle’s last shot at getting it right, or risk getting axed by yet another Hollywood giant.
Clearly not a fan of the latter option, the duchess appears to put her all into promotional efforts for her upcoming show and lifestyle rebrand. She offered a first look into the show last month, with a delightful trailer that thoroughly delivered in its mission to whet viewers’ appetites. Prior to that, Meghan Markle made her return to Instagram in a surprising PR move, and has since shared photos and clips teasing the show, further heightening the anticipation surrounding it.
Meghan Markle’s Desperate PR Move Amid Resurfaced Bullying Allegations
The 43-year-old took to her Instagram account again this week with another appealing look at her show as she begins the six-day countdown ahead of the March 4 release date. The video features a behind-the-scenes look at Meghan Markle’s Netflix show, from memorable filming moments to special milestones with her staff and crew members. She captioned,
“Six more days until our show launches on @netflix! Celebrating the crew and everyone who helped make this happen! The countdown begins.”
The clip showcased moments of Markle cooking, picking out ingredients, dancing, interacting with her crew, walking her late dog Guy, and even hanging out with her husband Prince Harry. Amid the carousel of relatively fun events, the clip captured one moment where a supposedly excited Meghan Markle rushes to embrace one of her staff members in her lavish kitchen.
However, the crew member in question did not appear to share her excitement. Rather than return the hug, he held his hands awkwardly by his side, making the motion seem so mechanical and unnatural, almost like he was forced. Meghan Markle’s awkward embrace did not escape the attention of viewers, some of whom have criticized the “unnatural” exchange, and the entire behind-the-scenes look into her Netflix show as merely a PR stunt to dispel bullying claims.
A PR Blunder or a Calculated Move?
Making things even more awkward, the actress-turned-royal made a costly blunder, deleting the promotional clip shortly after posting it, and then sharing it again. Analyzing the significance of this “mishap,” a PR expert, Chad Teixeira suggested Meghan Markle’s supposed blunder was possibly a calculated PR strategy to ensure maximum visibility. He noted,
“Meghan is no stranger to all eyes on her, and her new brand is very much in the spotlight. There’s a lot of pressure to get it right, especially on social media, where engagement and comments will be so important.”
The clip comes just days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former aide, Jason Knauf, revived the bullying allegations against the duchess. In an episode for a special episode of 60 Minutes Australia, Knauf, who first called attention to Markle’s staff-bullying antics, suggested he still stood by his words several years later, had no regrets and “wouldn’t change anything” about the way he handled the bullying scandal.
His bullying remarks came at a very delicate time for Meghan Markle, who struggles to salvage her reputation with all the positive PR she could garner, as the release of her lifestyle brand, and accompanying Netflix Show draws nearer. It doesn’t help that the star’s brand relaunch has faced plagiarism woes, criticism, and the resurfaced bullying claim from her former aide. While these setbacks indeed threaten to derail her plans for a Hollywood comeback, Markle is proving she won’t go down without a fight.
