Prince Harry told Meghan that her mother’s gumbo is better than hers

I’m constantly astounded by the fact that the deranged community of Sussex-haters are always the first in line to consume whatever the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make. It’s been that way for years! I’m obviously a fan of Harry and Meghan, but I don’t care enough to wake up at midnight to be the first one to watch whatever new Netflix show they’ve done. If you despise the Sussexes so much, why are you flying all the way to California to stalk Meghan’s As Ever pop-up, you know? Why are you finding work-arounds to consume and mock As Ever wine? Why are royal reporters the first viewers for Meghan’s WLM Holiday special? Well, enjoy this Telegraph write-up of WLM’s Holiday special. I haven’t watched it yet, but Harry told Meghan that Doria’s gumbo is better than the (spicy) gumbo Meghan made for the show.

Prince Harry has finally been given a speaking part in Meghan’s Netflix show, only to insult his wife’s cooking. The Duke of Sussex’s absence throughout the first two seasons of With Love, Meghan – barring one fleeting glimpse – had prompted many viewers to query his whereabouts. But in the latest episode – a special festive edition – he is invited on set to sample some food cooked by his wife and her guest chef Tom Colicchio.

Should there be a third series, however, he may not be invited back after describing their beetroot salad as “the anti-salad” and admitting that his wife’s gumbo was not as good as her mother’s.

The one-hour long “Holiday Celebration” show was released on Wednesday and shows viewers how to wrap presents, decorate plates and make advent calendars, crackers and wreaths. The Duchess gushes over her guests, telling hospitality expert Will Guidara that she’s “obsessed” with his book and has given it to a lot of people. She declares that although she’s excited to meet Colicchio, she’s going to “play it cool”, before telling him: “What a fan I am of you, I’m so happy you’re here.”

The Duke appears towards the end, as Meghan cooks the gumbo – a traditional southern stew – that her mother, Doria Ragland, traditionally makes on Christmas Eve. Meghan has made it with a spicy andouille sausage, rather than the turkey sausage her mother cooks for Harry, prompting her to gleefully declare “he’s gonna sweat”.

“Wonderful,” the Duke grimaces. He tucks in but it’s so hot he says he can “feel it puncturing through the top of my head”. Meghan is visibly aghast when he concludes: “I’m not so sure it’s as good as your mum’s but it’s certainly close.”

Meghan admits her salad contains “the top things my husband hates to eat” – black olives, fennel, pickled vegetables and “beetroot as they say in England”. She tells Colicchio: “He hates all those flavours so I have not got to enjoy them in a medley like that for a long time.”

The Duke casts a wary eye over the dish, stating: “Oh wow, that’s like the anti-salad,” before returning to the theme a minute later.

“That salad, me and the salad we’re having this sort of eye-off,” he adds. “It’s amazing – there are not many things in the world that I don’t like. And they’re all in that one bowl.”

The Duchess then kisses her husband on the lips as she thanks him for coming. Their children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, do not appear on screen, but are central to the festive theme.

[From The Telegraph]

I’m also not crazy about fennel in salads, but I LOVE black olives. The far superior olive, although I enjoy both green and black olives…damn, now I’m craving olives. I actually think Harry is so wise to choose Doria’s gumbo as his favorite above Meghan’s gumbo. That’s a good son-in-law, and he’s ensuring that he’ll always have Doria’s gumbo in his life. Anyway, I will enjoy watching this later today/tonight. I can’t believe that the Telegraph, Daily Mail and other outlets already have breaking-news coverage of this special.

Photos courtesy of Netflix and Avalon Red.