Former actress Meghan Markle is inviting Netflix viewers “at home” with her upcoming cooking and lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan,” but there’s a catch. The home isn’t hers.
Instead of showcasing her $14.65 million Montecito mansion, Markle, 43, filmed the series at an $8 million farmhouse just 2 miles away, owned by local philanthropists Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, the Daily Mail revealed.
The choice of location has raised eyebrows, with critics calling it yet another tone-deaf move by the former working royal.
While the series promises viewers a casual “at home with Meghan” vibe, the high-end cookware and luxury finishes suggest something far from the ordinary.
One insider told The Post Markle had initially sought out the farmhouse aesthetic thinking it would help bring an “average rustic-look vibe” to viewers instead of filming at her extravagant Montecito mansion.
But it turns out to have had the opposite effect.
The Cipolla farmhouse, nestled on 5 acres of avocado and lemon groves, features four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and a 4,500-square-foot interior with an open floor plan and chic design.
While the home is valued at $8 million today, the Cipollas paid $4.7 million for it in 2017, according to Realtor.com.
Its centerpiece is the kitchen, where Markle showcases her cooking and entertaining skills on a $19,000 Thermador range, flanked by $750 copper pans and $80 chopping boards. The Caesartone countertops alone are worth thousands, and the cabinetry is punctuated with black walnut cutting boards priced at $75 each.
In one scene, Meghan is seen plating caprese appetizers designed to look like ladybugs on $40 handcrafted plates from Los Angeles-based Earth and Element. Elsewhere, a $345 salad bowl from Parisian brand Astier de Villatte graces the kitchen island.
This isn’t Markle’s first brush with borrowed luxury.
In their 2022 Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” the couple filmed interviews in a $30 million estate nearby, opting not to showcase their own sprawling Montecito property, which boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms and expansive gardens.
“If this [Netflix series] was filmed at her own mansion, at least it would have come off more authentic,” the insider added.
The “With Love, Meghan” trailer, released last week, gives fans a sneak peek into her world of cooking, party planning and gardening. But the Duchess’s idea of “everyday beauty” seems far removed from the lives of the public.
“I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it,” Meghan says in the trailer, as she bakes British-inspired desserts like Victoria sponge and Eton Mess in the Cipolla kitchen.
She promises to share “personal tips and tricks” and embrace “playfulness over perfection,” adding that the goal is to show “how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected.”
The show also features celebrity guests like Mindy Kaling, Abigail Spencer and Prince Harry, with scenes of flower arranging, cocktail mixing and even harvesting honey from local beehives.
However, it’s the opulence on display — like Meghan’s $500 Vitamix blender or the coordinated Le Creuset cookware sets priced at $225 per piece — that has critics questioning how relatable the series will be.
The decision to film at the Cipolla estate has added fuel to criticism of the Sussexes’ “relatability problem.”
The couple’s own mansion, purchased in 2020, features manicured gardens, sweeping views, and enough space to accommodate multiple filming setups. Yet, Meghan and Harry continue to shield much of their private life from public view.
In a 2022 interview with The Cut, Markle revealed that the property’s two palm trees were a key reason they purchased the home. “One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she said.
“We did everything we could to get this house.”
Despite their love for the property, the couple has rarely shared glimpses of it, choosing instead to use other lavish homes as filming backdrops for Netflix.
The choice of the Cipolla farmhouse underscores what some see as a growing disconnect between Meghan’s brand and her audience. Richard Mineards, a Montecito neighbor, recently accused the Duchess of not contributing to the local community.
“I personally don’t think that Meghan is an asset to our community,” Mineards said in a German documentary. “She doesn’t really go out or get involved.”
Coupled with the high-profile failures of her Spotify podcast Archetypes and the axing of her Netflix series Pearl, some question whether Markle’s pivot to lifestyle content is the right move. Even her American Riviera Orchard brand — a Goop-like venture focused on home, garden and food products — has faced setbacks, including trademark disputes, staffing problems and delays.
Meghan McCain also ripped Markle as “tone deaf” for releasing the “out of touch” project.
“Now that she wants to be American again instead of British aristocracy what she seems to forget is Americans want real, raw, uncensored,” The daughter of the late Arizona senator John McCain wrote on X Thursday.
“There have been 2 terror attacks in 2 days, major wars raging and Americans can’t pay for groceries. We are a country in rage, uncertainty and intensity right now. This concept is ill advised,” McCain said. “I would have told her to do a show helping bring fresh food to food deserts in low income neighborhoods. Do something to help people instead of your ego. This is why the world doesn’t like you, nothing else. Just completely and utterly tone deaf to the moment.”
“All of this even in the trailer is highly curated, produced and out of touch,” McCain said.
The Netflix series is part of the couple’s reported $100 million deal with the streaming giant.
Markle’s team has framed the project as a chance to connect with viewers on a more personal level, with Netflix promising moments of “playfulness.”
“We’re not in the pursuit of perfection; we’re in the pursuit of joy,” Meghan said in the trailer.