In 1861, Isabella Beeton wrote in The Book of Household Management: “Among the gifts that nature has bestowed on woman, few rank higher than the capacity for domestic management.” For almost half a century, the Victorian author’s book of housewife how-to tips squatted on the bestseller list, dispensing advice such as how to employ servants, wash dishes and… er… keep pigs.

Beeton, who was a kind of proto-Nigella of her time, would have found a lot to like about the Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix show With Love, Meghan, billed as a “celebration of food, family, and togetherness”.

The latest trailer features the Duchess entertaining guests and friends via the medium of perfectly arranged charcuterie boards. It’s glossily benign American nonsense, where every high-definition mise en place close-up is undercut with jokes made by klutzy celebrity guests or relatable “just like you” mistakes, like Meghan squirting lemon juice in her eye by accident.

With Love, Meghan is nothing new for Netflix. The multibillion-dollar streamer does a tidy run of similar shows, with the once-inescapable Queer Eye – now limping into its ninth season after the........

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