Meghan Markle Receives Surprise Daytime Emmy Nomination for Cancelled Netflix Lifestyle Series, Eight Years After Reportedly Declining Awards Invite

Meghan Markle has received a surprise Daytime Emmy nomination for her short-lived Netflix lifestyle and cooking series With Love, Meghan — nearly eight years after she reportedly turned down an invitation to the glitzy awards ceremony. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, launched the first season of the show on the streaming platform in March 2025, coinciding with the debut of her lifestyle brand As Ever.

A second season and a Christmas special followed, with Meghan offering hosting advice and cooking demonstrations from inside a rented £5 million mansion located near her and Prince Harry’s home in Montecito, California. The series featured guest appearances from notable figures including Mindy Kaling, Tan France, and Chrissy Teigen across its two seasons.

Despite the star power and high production values, With Love, Meghan struggled to make a significant impact. Critics and viewers largely panned the show, and it failed to crack Netflix’s top 1,000 most-watched programmes according to viewing data released by the streamer. Nevertheless, the series — which was cancelled in January 2026 — has earned a nomination in the Outstanding Lifestyle Programme category, it was announced today.

With Love, Meghan will compete against strong entries such as NBC’s uplifting home renovation show George to the Rescue, hosted by George Oliphant (which holds an impressive 8.8/10 rating on IMDb), and Hallmark’s The Motherhood, presented by Connie Britton.

The Emmy nomination marks a notable moment for Meghan, coming almost eight years after she reportedly declined an invitation to attend the Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles shortly after marrying into the British Royal Family. Sources at the time described the decision as drawing “a line in the sand” between her previous acting career and her new responsibilities as a senior royal. The former Suits actress had been considered for an Emmy for her role as paralegal Rachel Zane in the show’s final season, though she was not ultimately nominated.

Eight years on, Meghan appears to be exploring new opportunities in the entertainment and lifestyle space. Following the cancellation of With Love, Meghan, she parted ways with Netflix and took full control of her As Ever food and homeware brand. Insiders suggested she felt the streaming giant was being overly cautious and wanted greater freedom to expand globally.

The royal couple signed a new first-look deal with Netflix last year, giving the platform priority access to projects developed by their Archewell Productions company. In May, it was announced that Archewell would produce a war film for Netflix based on the Afghanistan memoir No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege by Major Adam Jowett. The film tells the story of Easy Company, a unit of British Paras and Royal Irish Rangers tasked with holding a district in Helmand Province in July 2006.

Meghan recently made a guest appearance as a judge on MasterChef Australia, with her episode scheduled to air later this month. She filmed the segment during a trip to Australia with Prince Harry three months ago. The Duchess challenged contestants to create a dish “fit for a Duchess” using seasonal Australian ingredients including Brussels sprouts, celeriac, macadamia nuts, quince, lemons, apples, mandarins, strawberries, and local honey.

“What attracted me to the MasterChef Australia kitchen? Two things: my love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes,” Meghan said in a press release announcing the broadcast date.

The former actress has spoken about her passion for cooking and hosting in various interviews. In a November feature for Harper’s Bazaar, she compared parenting to running a business, emphasising the importance of learning from challenges and giving herself grace when things don’t go perfectly. “If it all goes swimmingly, you don’t learn from it. If you don’t learn anything, you’re not going to grow,” she told the magazine.

Meghan’s Emmy nomination for With Love, Meghan represents a surprising bright spot for the series, which received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Daily Mail reviewer Annabel Fenwick Elliott gave the Christmas special zero stars out of five, describing it as “unlikeable” due to what she called “syrupy hypocrisy and our hostess’s deep lack of self-awareness.”

Despite the show’s cancellation, the Emmy recognition highlights Meghan’s continued interest in lifestyle and culinary content. Her As Ever brand focuses on food, homeware, and wellness products, aligning with the themes explored in the Netflix series.

The Duchess’s journey from actress to royal to content creator and entrepreneur has been closely followed by the public. Her decision eight years ago to step back from Hollywood awards ceremonies reflected the significant life change she was undergoing at the time. Now, with With Love, Meghan earning an Emmy nod, it appears she is carving out a new space in the entertainment industry on her own terms.

As the Daytime Emmy Awards approach, Meghan’s nomination adds an interesting layer to the conversation about her post-royal career. While the series itself faced criticism, the recognition from the Academy suggests that elements of the show resonated with voters in the lifestyle category.

For Meghan, the nomination may serve as validation for her creative efforts and a stepping stone for future projects. Her partnership with Netflix, though adjusted, continues through Archewell Productions, with new content in development.

The Duchess’s ability to move between different worlds — royal life, Hollywood, and entrepreneurship — continues to fascinate observers. Her latest Emmy recognition adds another chapter to a story that has captured global attention for years.

As she balances family life with Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, alongside her professional endeavours, Meghan appears focused on creating content and experiences that reflect her personal interests and values. The With Love, Meghan nomination, however unexpected, represents a notable achievement in her evolving career.