The TW vanity project show finally aired on Netflix on 4 March 2025, the same day as the State of the Union speech in the US, alas, there was no big fancy launch party. TW had to make do with a card penned by Harold, who tried to write like a 3-year-old (that wasn’t hard for him), and a gathering of TW cult members in New York at a private preview that Netflix had arranged and paid for, with TW showing up as a ‘surprise’!
The reviews (as expected) were not good based on the sneak peek clips, despite TW’s new faux pals advertising the show and the ‘As Ever’ brand on their social media accounts. The only semi-decent review that didn’t give the show 1 or 2 stars was (as ever), Harper’s Bazaar, where even Time magazine, and the sugary outlets such as The Guardian, The Independent, and the Daily Telegraph gave it a thumbs down.
Meanwhile, the As Ever branded goods were featured on the website, but it looks as if TW hasn’t paid the webmaster as the test pages were visible, complete with the usual over the top word salad.
However, judging from the sneak peeks and clips that have been posted on social media, expectations were low. Did Netflix really think airtime showing TW making up a guest tray by emptying peanut pretzels from one bag into another was erm, groundbreaking? A decent hostess would leave the whole bag, and if the guest did have allergies then they could check the ingredients. You don’t get much info from a scrawled little tag, and I thought it a little mean to give a few handfuls, but then again, how was that showing that you cared when you don’t want to give a guest a fresh unopened bag of snacks?
However, the Harkles are keen on correcting misinformation and it looks as if TW isn’t practising what she preaches. Many were shocked at how TW spoke to Mindy Kaling, and the awkward conversation showed that the two aren’t actual friends if she didn’t even know TW’s name!
Unless TW changes her surname by deed poll to Sussex, then her legal surname remains either Markle (birth certificate), or Windsor (marriage). The invisible children have Mountbatten-Windsor as their surnames, but the name can only be used by direct descendants of Prince Philip and the late Queen as per LP. The surname was intended to be used by those who did not have a title. Therefore, TW may only use Windsor, and she cannot have the same surname as the invisible children, and made an incorrect and misleading comment by saying the surname is Sussex.
The ducal title, Duke of Sussex was gifted to Harold with the intention that it be used by him and his wife because they would be carrying out duties to represent the late Queen and the Crown. As they have stepped back and are unlikely to ever represent the Crown again, it is reasonable for the title to be rescinded or at least for its use to be restricted for use only within the royal family events. Sussex is not a legal or official surname, and a legal name would be what is in TW’s passport, on her driving license, and on her birth certificate. The use of ‘Sussex’ as a name is informal, and TW can use Meghan Sussex, or Meghan Dumbarton informally (or even change it to As Ever), but they are not legal names unless changed by deed poll. If the invisible children do change their names by deed poll, then they will not be able to use the more prestigious Mountbatten-Windsor.
Take for example several decades ago, Charles James Spencer-Churchill, was known informally as Jamie Blandford, who was always in the news for various misdeeds as he was then styled as the Marquess of Blandford until 2014. He then became the Duke of Marlborough upon his father’s death. His son, George, who is now the Marquess of Blandford is informally known as George Blandford, although his legal name is George Spencer-Churchill.
The Duke of Kent’s (Prince Edward) children all have the surname of Windsor (not Kent), and his wife, after she retired from royal duties chose not to use her title and HRH, and was informally known as Katharine Kent when she gave piano lessons. The family are known as the Kent branch of the family. George Philip Nicholas Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, is their eldest son, therefore, technically, the child known as Archie should be styled as, Prince Archie, Earl of Dumbarton, or be informally known as Archie Dumbarton.
One might think that TW is desperate to keep her paws on the Sussex title that she believes by telling people in the US that it’s her surname, hoping that no one can take it from her.
On a more serious note though, is TW butchering the sacred shortbread by (I can barely say it) by throwing flower sprinkles on it? Calling shortbread a cookie is sacrilege, and the only addition that is acceptable (to me) is a generous handful of chocolate chips in my shortbread, but it’s got be thick and buttery and crumble in the mouth. None of this crisp and flowery malarkey please…
As ever, there are more ‘eww’ moments from the Netflix show, such as TW’s hair dangling over the food, and the fact that she says she puts leftover cold noodles in the lunchboxes of the invisible children. Seeing as the series was filmed in April 2024, the child known as Lilibet (born June 2021) wasn’t even 3 years old and wasn’t at school yet, and at best would be thrown into a daycare centre.
I feel that the most dangerous misinformation given is the use of epsom salts and essential oils to create bath salts. First of all, essential oils need to be used carefully and oils in baths can cause accidents
The best advice is from a company (https://tisserandinstitute.org/safety/bath-safety/) that specialises in essential oils, who state that essential oils should not be mixed directly with salt for baths, and need to diluted first. Also, one must be wary of blending oils and how much is used, so can this be considered irresponsible and dangerous as well as misleading by TW?
There are many people who do make their own bath salts, but again, many are DIY bloggers rather than experts, and I think it’s always best to listen to the experts who say ‘don’t do it’ because it can lead to skin reactions, and clogged drains.
The lesson here is NOT to listen to advice from TW, but then again, why would any sane person take advice from someone who has no clue as to what they are doing except to try and set up a business on the back of a royal title? The show is simply what she tried to do with The Tig years ago, but no one would back her, and Netflix were only involved because the Harkles needed to provide some content to fulfil their contract.
I wonder if there will be a no quibble money back guarantee with the As Ever branded goods, and where they are really being made?
