Meghan Markle is back in her TV star era.
Her much-anticipated lifestyle series "With Love, Meghan" dropped on Netflix on Tuesday. In the show's eight episodes, the Duchess of Sussex shares entertaining tips and recipes with her famous friends, and she works on her craft with cooking experts like Roy Choi.
However, one person is conspicuously absent from most of the series: Meghan's husband, Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex only appears briefly in the show's final episode, a change for the couple who have been attached at the hip, particularly in their work, for nearly a decade.
Although it's a shift for the duke and duchess, the professional separation makes perfect sense for Meghan as she returns to her lifestyle roots.
The reality TV playbook
Harry and Meghan began working together when they announced their engagement in 2017, which is standard for senior royals. They continued to brand themselves as a package deal in their early post-royal projects, like their first Netflix show, "Harry & Meghan."
"I think they were very smart in the early days of trying to give the public what they wanted," Kristen Meinzer, a royal commentator, told Business Insider. "The public wanted to know the story of what happened behind the castle doors."
In recent months, that strategy has shifted. Harry has focused on philanthropic endeavors, attending events without his wife, while Meghan prioritizes her series and forthcoming lifestyle brand, As Ever.
Stacy Jones, the founder and CEO of Hollywood Branded, told BI that Meghan's decision to make "With Love, Meghan" largely Harry-less was savvy, even if his royal lineage is part of why people are tuning into the show.
Jones compared "With Love, Meghan" to other reality series that star women married to famous men, like "The Osbournes" or some of the "Real Housewives" franchises. "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" also relied heavily on Robert Kardashian's memories in its early seasons.
Jones said that the successful man functions as a "prop" while his wife is the star beloved by audiences, and he typically only makes brief on-screen appearances — just as Harry does on "With Love, Meghan."
Sure, having your literal prince of a husband make one long-awaited guest appearance on the series probably helps keep viewers tuned in, but keeping Harry off-screen until that moment allows Meghan to sell herself as an individual rather than just one half of the Sussex team.
"It's important to have that prop because that's the unique definer," Jones said about Harry's royal status. "Meghan with Harry is special, but Meghan does not have to be with Harry at her side all the time."
Off-screen support
Although he isn't on screen much, traces of Harry are all over the show, as Meghan discusses her family's favorite foods or their routine with their children and dogs.
She also told People that she and Harry are in "a honeymoon period again" because of her work on the show, adding that he and her children frequently visited her on set.
"My husband met me when I had The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me," she told People, speaking of the blog she ran from 2014 to 2017. "I think he loves watching as much as I love doing that creative process."
Jones said those traces of Harry in the series can remind the audience they are a unit even as they define themselves as individuals, and Meghan can do the same for Harry as he finds his post-royal identity.
Meghan's appearance at the Invictus Games in February was a step in the right direction. She seemed like Harry's supporter rather than the cohost of the games, even leaving them a few days early to return to their children.
Harry and Meghan's professional lives will likely always be intertwined in some capacity, but their newfound distance will benefit them both.
