There have been several moments over the past six years or so where I find myself agog by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unlucky timing. Some examples: QEII’s death just a few months before their Netflix docuseries was released and Spare was supposed to be released (Spare ended up being slightly delayed, with some rewrites); the Sussexes sitting down with Oprah just as Prince Philip’s health was circling the drain; and right now, just days away from Netflix’s release date for With Love, Meghan, and Southern California has been devastated with widespread wildfires. It sucks – these are acts of god, and it just feels like seriously bad luck every time the Sussexes have something happening.
Over the weekend, the rumors began in the Daily Mail and Daily Beast that Meghan or Netflix would delay With Love, Meghan’s release because of the Southern California fires. The Daily Beast even said that Meghan’s show was filmed “just up the road” from the fires – meaning 90 miles away. I understood how the optics were not great, but I also believed that WLM was always intended as light, uncomplicated escapism, which is always needed at any given moment. Netflix didn’t see it that way and neither did Meghan. WLM has been delayed until March:
Meghan Markle has decided to postpone the release date of her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan, as wildfires continue to devastate her hometown of Los Angeles.
At the request of Meghan, and with the full support of Netflix, the release of the series — a heartfelt tribute to the beauty of Southern California — has been moved from its previously announced Jan. 15 premiere date to March 4, due to the ongoing devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.
“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement on Sunday, Jan. 12.
California is especially meaningful to the Duchess of Sussex, 43. She now resides in Montecito with her husband, Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, but she was also born and raised in Los Angeles. Her new series, With Love, Meghan, includes thoughtful nods to her home state and her strong connection to it.
The couple welcomed friends and loved ones who were forced to evacuate into their Montecito, Calif., home, PEOPLE previously confirmed. Through their Archewell Foundation, they are working to identify the most effective ways to support the community during this crisis.
If this is what she thinks she needs to do, then sure, I support it. I would have found a way to support it if she still wanted to release the series this week as well. I just hate that those motherf–kers at the Mail and the Daily Beast were right when they suggested a delay would be in the cards. A silver lining might be that Meghan now has more time to promote the series and possibly get American Riviera Orchard up and running.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, screencaps courtesy of Fox affiliate.
