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By CNN Royal Correspondent Max Foster and Billy Stockwell in London

Netflix

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex delighted royal-watchers earlier this week with behind-the-scenes snaps from her glossy new Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan.”

Posted on Instagram, the photos show the duchess posing under a colourful balloon arch and laughing with friends beneath the Californian sun. The snaps also include several carefully curated table displays with a generous offering of flowers. 

The eight-part series, which was filmed in Montecito, premiered on Tuesday after its planned release on January 15 was delayed due to the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles region.

It follows Meghan’s life as a hostess, cook and homemaker, hosting a different friend in each episode. Longtime fans of the duchess were excited earlier this week when she made a surprise appearance at a screening of the show in New York. 

In episode one, Meghan guides the audience through the process of making bath salts for visiting guests, as well as getting stuck into a spot of beekeeping. 

Dressed in the appropriate protective attire, Meghan seemed both nervous and awestruck as the honeycomb frames were lifted from the hive. “The biggest thing is keeping a low tone,” she whispered to beekeeper Branden Aroyan. “Talk in our bee voice.” 

“It’s like also that reminder to do something that scares you a little bit,” she added.

Netflix

Wildflower honey is just one of the sweet treats soon to be available to buy on Meghan’s lifestyle website, after the recent relaunch of her brand, As ever. 

“As ever is more than a brand – it’s a love language. Created by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, As ever welcomes you to a collection of products, each inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing with ease,” a message on the website reads. 

From shortbread cookies with flower sprinkles to raspberry spread in “keepsake” packaging, there are plenty of treats to go round. 

It is not all roses for the duchess, though. 

Many reviews in both Britain and the United States have been highly critical of the series. Time Magazine said the show “couldn’t be more boring,” while a review in the Guardian gave it one star, calling it “toe-curlingly unlovable TV.”  

Others, despite describing the show as contrived, were slightly more forgiving, highlighting Meghan’s strong work ethic. “With Love, Meghan succeeds as a monument to effort,” a Vanity Fair review concluded. 

In more positive news for the duchess, the show remains in Netflix’s top 10 TV programs in the UK. One reason could be that it is part of an emerging and competitive lifestyle genre, as audiences look for new ways to decompress. 

“Thank you to all of you around the world who are tuning in!” Meghan posted on Instagram Wednesday, alongside a video montage from the show featuring guests who compliment her cooking and presentation skills. 

She also revealed recently that Netflix had become a partner in As ever – a signal of the streamer’s continued interest in the Sussexes, having already worked with Meghan and Harry on a number of other shows in recent years. 

Here are five things we learned from the first episode of Meghan’s new series.

What does King Charles listen to?

King Charles is set to share his favorite music tracks from across the Commonwealth on March 10 as part of a new radio broadcast called The King’s Music Room, which is being released to mark this year’s Commonwealth Day. The songs in the show, which was recorded at Buckingham Palace, were selected by the monarch himself – from reggae legend Bob Marley to the more recently Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter RAYE. Charles is also expected to share stories about his interactions with some of the artists featured, while explaining why the songs are important to him. "Perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration," Charles says. Listeners can tune in on Apple Music 1 throughout Monday and Tuesday. Find out more here.

Apple Music/Reuters

Prince William surprises with latest message. 

The Prince of Wales delighted royal-watchers in a video on Saturday when he took to Kensington Palace’s social channels with a video for St. David’s Day, the annual celebration of the patron saint of Wales. To mark the occasion, he delivered his message in fluent Welsh. “Today, on St. David's Day, we come together to celebrate Wales – its history, its culture, and its incredible people. From its breathtaking landscapes to its language, Wales continues to inspire,” he said. “Today, we will celebrate everything that is magical about Wales. To the people of Wales and everybody around the world, Happy St. David's Day.” When asked if the prince used language-learning app Duolingo to polish up his Welsh, a royal source told CNN they wouldn’t get into specifics but that it may be part of his learning experience. Click here to watch the video. 

VE Day anniversary plans revealed.

Plans to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, otherwise known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, have been announced this week. The four-day celebration will open on May 5 with a military procession from London’s Whitehall to Buckingham Palace, to be followed by a flypast of military aircraft, including the famous Red Arrows aerobatics team. Street parties will be held up and down the country, and on May 8, a remembrance service at Westminster Abbey will honor those who served and died in the war. London’s Cenotaph war memorial will be dressed in Union Jacks. Last June, King Charles carried out his first overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer, traveling to France for commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day Landings – a crucial turning point in defeating the Nazis. This year’s events will be an opportunity to mark VE Day on a grander scale than in 2020, when the 75th anniversary had to adopt a more muted tone due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Marc Ward/PA Images via Getty Images

Joe Giddens/WPA Pool/Getty Images

King Charles met with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Sandringham estate on Sunday, two days after the Ukrainian leader’s chaotic talks with US President Donald Trump and hours after a crucial summit with European leaders on support for Kyiv. Zelensky was warmly received by King Charles at Sandringham House, a royal source told CNN.  
  
The meeting lasted just under an hour, during which refreshments were served, the source added. The British monarch and Zelensky have met several times previously – first in February 2023 at Buckingham Palace, and again last summer when both attended the European Political Community meeting at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince William visited a hospital in Berkshire on Wednesday to mark five years on from the coronavirus pandemic. William, who is patron of NHS Charities Together — a network of over 230 National Health Service charities across the UK — visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital to learn about the positive impact of the organization, which has helped to raise more than £160 million ($206.7 million) since the pandemic, to support patients, medical staff and volunteers working on the front line of the crisis. During the visit, William met staff members and toured a wellbeing center and garden, a space that reviews show has boosted staff morale at the hospital, according to Kensington Palace. Two trees have also been planted in the garden to remember two members of staff, Peter Tun and Julie Edward, who died during the pandemic. Kate also became patron of the charity alongside her husband in December 2020.

Ministry of Defence/Handout/Getty Images

King Charles made a rare visit to a Royal Navy warship, HMS Prince of Wales, on Tuesday – the first time in nearly 40 years that a reigning monarch has joined a ship of this kind at sea, according to the Royal Navy. As Prince of Wales in 2016, Charles – who is head of the British Armed Forces – visited HMS Prince of Wales while it was under construction, but during the recent visit, he flew to the flagship in the English Channel where it is preparing for deployment to the Indo-Pacific region this spring. “Cherish the next few months as you put into practice that which you have learnt and the skills you have honed over all these weeks of enormous effort,” Charles told military personnel aboard the 65,000-tonne vessel. “May fair winds and following seas accompany you all.” The ship’s commanding officer, Will Blackett, said he showed the King that “HMS Prince of Wales is at high readiness, standing by to deliver for the UK when ordered,” according to the navy. 

"This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented."

– UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Last Friday, Keir Starmer presented US President Donald Trump with an invitation from King Charles, offering an “unprecedented second state visit” to Britain. As he took and opened the letter, Trump described Charles as “a great, great gentleman” and remarked on his “beautiful” signature. But what was actually in the letter that Starmer handed over? Find out the details here. 

CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this newsletter.