Michael Steed, the director of Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series — “With Love, Meghan,” applauded the Duchess of Sussex as he detailed his experience working with her in an interview with People published Saturday.
“Everyone has their own version of her, but she’s just someone who’s constantly hustling and working,” he said, contradicting previous claims made by the ex-royals’ alleged former staffers.
“Her cooking is pretty spot-on. She’s not a chef, and it’s definitely not meant to make it seem like she is, but there’s just a love of cooking that is palpable.”
Another staffer, who went unnamed in People’s reporting, described the As Ever founder, 43, as incredibly “warm,” “approachable” and “genuine” throughout his experience working with her on the cooking series, which has been renewed for a second season.
“She made sure everyone felt included, from Netflix executives to our director to every PA on set. No one was left out,” he said.
“Most of the time, we’re expected to fade into the background, to be invisible. But in this show, we were part of it. We were included. It was a very unique and refreshing experience.”
Markle told the outlet that she viewed the filming process as a “communal” experience for her and other staff members.
“It feels as though we’re just spending time together, which is what it ended up being,” she said.
“I’d make a recipe and say, ‘Everyone try this,’ and there are certain dishes where you just watch everyone flock in. I’d say, ‘We’ve run out of spoons!’ It ended up feeling so communal, and that’s the spirit of the show.”
Reps for Markle did not comment further on the report.
Markle has long been the subject of negative workplace reviews from former royal staffers who have made anonymous remarks about working with her.
Last month, a royal staffer told the London Times that staffers nicknamed Markle the “Duchess of Difficult” “for a while.”
“She could be difficult because she was finding life difficult — trying to feel her way and work out the intricacies of a positively medieval, labyrinthine system,” an anonymous palace staff member said.
In September, Markle and Prince Harry found themselves in hot water after the Hollywood Reporter published a report claiming that sources who worked for Markle were “terrified” of her. At one point, one of the insiders called her a “dictator in heels.”
However, current and former staffers of the Sussexes were quick to refute the report’s claims, per Us Weekly.
“Best bosses I have ever had,” one current team member said of working with Harry and Markle. At the same time, an ex-staffer called their time with the Sussexes “truly an honor.”
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