Meghan Markle has been branded as “naïve” for making the decision to sign a multi-million-pound deal with Netflix. The 43-year-old, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020, released her new eight-part series, With Love, Meghan, on Netflix last week.

The couple first released their bomshell docu-series, Harry & Meghan, in December 2022 – two years after signing the major deal. Royal author Tina Brown has since criticised Meghan for her decision to sign with Netflix rather than stay on as a working member of the Royal Family. She said: “All Meghan had to do was shut up and wait. Go quiet for a couple of years, start a family, keep her eyes trained on the splendid royal real estate that would soon come up for grabs…”

Writing in her newsletter Fresh Hell, she added: “The moment William ascended to his role as Prince of Wales, there would have been new global gigs and red carpet roll-outs raining down on the Sussexes’ heads. But no. Offered the Commonwealth or Netflix, the Sussexes, with naïve avarice, chose Netflix.”

Despite receiving mixed reviews of her show, With Love, Meghan is being renewed for a second season. Although the release date is yet to be confirmed, Netflix’s Tudum has teased that it will be back “later this fall”.

With the second season annouced just days after series one aired on Netflix, a TV insider told The Sun: “This may raise a few eyebrows, but one thing which Netflix loves is controversy – and this show certainly created a lot of debate.

“Many were so scathing about the eight-part series that they thought there was no way it would get another season. But it seems the streamer is delighted with the chatter it’s created on both sides of the Atlantic this week.”