The Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix series has been the talk of Tinseltown since it published on the streaming service last week – as millions of viewers tune in to listen about Meghan’s life through food.
But as the Duchess, 43, attracts her guests with stories about her childhood and younger years before marrying Prince Harry, some users (and indeed Meghan’s own family) have spotted some details about her past that don’t appear to add up.
This weekend Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle Sr commented some of his daughter’s claims that she was a ‘latchkey’ child – and defended her claims she was raised on ‘TV dinners’ didn’t quite align with how her childhood truly was.
Meghan, the Duchess shares that she spent time on her own as a child because her parents were working; a so-called ‘latchkey kid’ who is on their own after school until their parents come home.
She tells Mindy: ‘I grew up with a lot of fast food and also a lot of TV tray dinners. It feels like such a different time but that was so normal with the microwaveable kids’ meals.’
The Duchess adds: ‘I grew up with that, watching Jeopardy! and having a lot of fast food.’
But according to Mr Markle, Meghan’s description of her childhood eating habits doesn’t quite align with his memory.
Mr Markle also said he would personally choose Meghan up every day from school – or send a car to fetch her if he was too busy.
And the Duchess’s father, 80, is not the only person to have questioned Meghan’s backstory as told in the series – with viewers recommending the Duchess has previously spoken very differently about her story.
Meghan’s stint as a judge on US children’s TV competition, Chopped Junior, saw her giving feedback to mini kitchen maestros as they tried to dazzle with their culinary skills.
In one clip, that has started circulating online after the Duchess’s Netflix show aired, Meghan tells a young cooking prodigy that her meal triggers memories of childhood.
The Duchess says of the dish: ‘This dish reminded me of the kind of food that I grew up eating in California, like that real… farm to table, sort of fresh, really simple ingredients.’ She then praised the girl, telling her she’d done a ‘good job’.
Meghan’s historic admission that she consumed ‘farm-to-table’ food in California is a stark contrast to the image she projects on her Netflix series, as the child raised on TV dinners and fast food.
Speaking to Korean-American chef Roy Choi, she shares her ‘love’ of gardening, which he admits he’s ‘horrible’ at.
Meghan says: ‘They had, in our science class, a lot of time in the garden. So I was probably about 10 or 11 – we learnt composting…’
She added: ‘I loved, as a kid, I planted this thing and would sit there patiently waiting, and then suddenly you go, ‘it’s grown and I can eat this’ and it makes you so grateful for food.’
