Meghan Markle reveals festive preparations for Archie and Lilibet and kisses Harry in glitzy new Netflix trailer released moments before William and Kate arrive at the Royal Variety Performance

The Duchess of Sussex locked lips with Prince Harry as she talked about ’embracing traditions’ in a glitzy new trailer for her festive Netflix show.

Meghan Markle, 44, has released a short trailer celebrating the Christmas season with a special edition of With, Love Meghan.

Describing the festive season as a time ‘to connect with the people we love’, the actress can be seen kissing her husband, Prince Harry.

The Duchess posted the trailer to her Instagram just moments before Prince William and Princess Kate were due to step out at the star-studded Royal Variety Performance.

The future King and Queen dazzled as they arrived at the annual charity event alongside stars at London’s Royal Albert Hall. 

In Meghan’s Netflix trailer, she gave the audience a glimpse into how she, the Duke, and their two children, Archie, six, and four-year-old Lilibet celebrate. 

Tennis champion Naomi Osaka, chef Tom Colicchio, hospitality expert Will Guidara, philanthropist Kelly McKee Zajfen and longtime friend Lindsay Roth also join Meghan in the festive cheer.

‘Being a hostess or a host is about making people feel comfortable,’ she said, while noting the gift-giving season was about ’embracing tradition’.

Meghan smiling while painting snowflake cookies for Archie and Lilibet

Noting how the gift-giving time of year is all about ’embracing tradition’, Meghan can be seen organising a plate of Christmas-themed cookies and a cup of milk

A personalised Santa mug with Archie and Lilibet’s names which was featured in the With Love, Meghan trailer

The trailer was released just moments before Princess Kate and Prince William arrived at the Royal Variety Performance

The Waleses were snapped beaming at the annual charity event 

In one part of the trailer, the mother-of-two can be seen organising a plate of Christmas-themed cookies alongside milk in a personalised Santa mug with Archie and Lilibet’s names.

Elsewhere, she’s spotted grinning while painting snowflake sweet treats and preparing crafted advent calendars for them with notes and special gifts. 

While plugging a trio of her £27 ($36) As Ever jams, she encouraged fans to ‘unwrap the magic’. 

Similar to the main series of With Love Meghan, the Christmas edition was filmed in Montecito, where the Duchess lives with Harry, Archie and Lilibet. 

The show is not filmed in the Sussexes’ California home, but in an $8million (£6.2million) farmhouse owned by Tom and Sherrie Cipolla – philanthropists.

The couple live a stone’s throw away from the Duke and Duchess $14.65 million (£11.1million) home, the Decor reported. 

Meghan previously said in an interview with People in March that she opted not to film in their Montecito home to ‘protect [her family’s safe haven’. 

The latest edition of With Love, Meghan is due on Netflix on December 3 of this year. 

The advert isn’t the first time the Duchess has given fans insight into how the Sussexes celebrate big events. 

In her latest newsletter for As Ever, the 44-year-old shared that she, Harry, 41, and the children harvest sage from their garden for their homemade Thanksgiving feast.

Sage is among Markle’s ‘favourite’ flavours, according to the newsletter, and she’s been documenting herself ‘flowering sage’ in her backyard on Instagram over the last year. 

The Duchess of Sussex also plugged  a trio of her £27 ($36) As Ever jams, she encouraged fans to ‘unwrap the magic’

A gift set of Meghan’s As Ever signature fruit spread, which retails for $42 (£31)

The Duchess also stressed that the gift-giving time of year is also about creating new traditions as a family while tucking in notes and treats into a crafted advent calendar

Meghan Markle, 44, alongside the streaming giant, has released a short trailer celebrating the Christmas season with a special edition of ‘With, Love Meghan’

Meanwhile, the mother-of-two gave insight into her preparations ahead of the big day, with arts and crafts as well as her go-to Christmas dishes (pictured with Will Guidara)

Chef Tom Colicchio and Meghan Markle cooking up a festive storm int he kitchen

Tennis Champion Naomi Osaka is also featured in the Christmas edition of With Love, Meghan on Netflix

‘Those photos you’ve seen this year on our Instagram of Meghan walking through what seems like lavender, with its gorgeous purple hue, actually share the beauty of flowering sage (Fun fact: the varietal is called Santa Barbara),’ the newsletter said.

But this has not been a solo project of Markle’s, as it was revealed that the entire family has been involved in the backyard harvest.

She recalled ‘strolls’ through the garden with the family and their two pet dogs and how sage served as the backdrop of their family’s ‘sun-drenched moments’ together.

‘Those strolls, with Archie and Lili running in tow, her husband checking on the bees, Pula chasing the ball with Mia trying to keep up — those were the sun-drenched moments that made an everyday walk something a bit more magical,’ said the newsletter.

‘And that sage, that purple, that scent around the garden, was always there in the background.’

The sweet anecdote from Markle’s family life also served to promote As Ever’s new Sage Honey with Honeycomb, which retails for $32.00 (£24.48) for a 9oz jar on the official website. 

The Duchess Of Sussex, 44, revealed that she, Harry, 41, and their kids – son Archie, six, and daughter Lilibet, four – harvest sage from their garden to season their homemade feast 

The Duchess of Sussex in her Netflix series With Love, Meghan which came out in March

Prince Harry and Meghan at the ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in July 2024

The Duchess’s As Ever brand was recently accused of being ‘beige’ and ‘depressing’, despite previously claiming she had to ‘tone down’ her style to fit into the Royal Family. 

Last week, Meghan took to Instagram to share a brief clip of herself assembling gifts as she continues to tout her As Ever Christmas range, which includes a $64 (£48) candle, champagne and a mulled spice kit.

In the short video, The Duchess was dressed in a sleek silk brown dress, was seen popping a present into a grey stocking which hung from her mantlepiece, before clasping her hands together and smiling.

It was marked by similarly neutral earthy tones throughout all the interiors in the room, appearing matching the understated light green hues of the fir decor around – although carefully placed fairy lights sparkled throughout.

‘Oh, we see you!’ the caption read. ‘Not even Thanksgiving yet and you’ve already got this in the bag.’

Some fans however, were disappointed by the glossy promotion, claiming it lacked festivity and featured only ‘bland, boring browns’, rather than the typically bright holiday period fanfare.

In August, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a new ‘multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects’ with Netflix – a downgrade on their previous contract.

The couple’s new output included a second season of the Duchess’s ‘With Love, Meghan’ lifestyle show, as well as a Christmas special this December.

Sage is among Markle’s ‘favorite’ flavors, according to the newsletter 

The sweet anecdote from Markle’s family life also served to promote As Ever’s new Sage Honey with Honeycomb, which retails for $32.00 for a 9 oz. jar on the official website

The new arrangement is a first-look deal, meaning Netflix can say yes or no to new film or TV projects before anyone else. 

Netflix has already released the first series of With Love, Meghan as well as Polo, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead and the couple’s bombshell documentary Harry & Meghan as well as being a business partner on Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever. 

Five years ago, Harry and Meghan secured a lucrative contract thought to be worth $100million (£74million) with Netflix after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.

The renewed deal was described by the Sussexes – who made the announcement with Netflix – as ‘extending their creative partnership’ through Archewell Productions.

But the terms are understood to be worth less for Harry and Meghan than their previous contract, according to a person familiar with the deal, and represent Netflix loosening its ties with the couple.

Leading publicist Mark Borkowski told the Daily Mail: ‘They have shot the golden goose of 2020 – more of a ‘we’ll call you’ than ‘here’s the chequebook’. It’s a first-look deal, which means Netflix gets first dibs but no obligation to bankroll every semi-royal whim. 

‘I reckon Netflix is trimming fat industry-wide, so this is less carte blanche, more curated cameo.

‘They’re still in business together – Meghan’s. As ever brand and seasonal specials keep them in the Netflix shop window but make no mistake, this is a slimmed-down sequel to the blockbuster original. So Harry and Meghan’s new Netflix chapter [is] less champagne budget, more Prosecco by the glass.’ 

Netflix said Harry & Meghan, which came out in December 2022, was a huge success with a total of 23.4million views, making it the most viewed documentary ever through its first four days and reaching the English Top 10 TV list in 85 countries.

But With Love, Meghan failed to break into Netflix’s top ten programmes – or even the top 300, as it ranked at number 383 in 2025 so far for the streaming giant with just 5.3million viewers across the globe since it was first broadcast in March.

However, the Duchess said at the time: ‘We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.

‘My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision.’