1. Meghan Markle reflected on her relationship with Queen Elizabeth

Markle praised Queen Elizabeth as “the most shining example” of female leadership as she reflected on their relationship weeks after the British monarch’s death.

The Duchess of Sussex feels “really grateful” to be able to support her husband, Prince Harry, following the death of his grandmother on September 8, she told Variety.

“I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt,” Meghan said. “I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”

“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her,” Markle added. “It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.’”

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2. She refuses to return to acting

If you thought Markle would be returning to her Hollywood roots now that she’s back in Los Angeles, think again.

“In big moments in life, you get a lot of perspective,” Markle told Variety. “It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energised and excited about all of the things we’ve been building toward. We’re also focused on our [Archewell] foundation.”

The duchess, who starred on the legal drama Suits before marrying Harry in 2018, said a return to acting is not on the horizon.

“No. I’m done,” Markle told Variety. “I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.”

3. She loves burgers, just like the rest of us

Markle told Variety that she and Harry work from home, but they do not do work-from-home snack breaks like the rest of us – instead, they eat chocolate chip cookies “the size of my toddler’s head” and drive an hour to the closest In-N-Out.

“There’s one at the halfway point between LA and our neck of the woods,” Markle said of Harry’s favourite burger spot. “It’s really fun to go through the drive-through and surprise them. They know our order.”

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4. She lashed out at Deal or No Deal

“All the girls, we would line up, and there were different stations for having your lashes put on, or your extensions put in, or the padding in your bra,” she said, referring to her time on set. “We were given spray tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie-cutter idea of precisely what we should look like.”

“It was solely about beauty and not necessarily about brains,” Markle continued. “I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach. Knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage.”

Markle said she “didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks with little substance” while on the show.

5. Meghan and Harry’s Netflix documentary has been postponed because of drama surrounding The Crown

Netflix subscribers will have to wait for a new docuseries from Prince Harry and Meghan.

Deadline reported that the streamer has delayed the doc to 2023, which the outlet said was originally set to be released in December 2022, amid backlash from former UK Prime Minister John Major toward the upcoming season of The Crown.

In the events depicted in The Crown, Charles was agreeing with a 1991 Sunday Times poll that argued the queen, who was in her mid-60s at the time and had been in power for nearly 40 years, should abdicate the throne to Charles, according to Deadline.

Major insisted the meeting never happened, and called it “a barrel load of malicious nonsense”, according to British media.

Netflix did not immediately return a request for comment. In a comment to Deadline, Netflix said “there’s never been any documentary from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed”.

Season five of The Crown premieres November 9.

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6. Markle bonded with Paris Hilton (yes, really)

The guest star on the latest episode of Markle’s podcast was none other than Paris Hilton.

“I was the most nervous about her interview. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve had a judgment about her that’s based on everything I’ve seen,” Markle told Variety. She also said that some of her judgment came from thinking she “didn’t grow up pretty”.

“You hear about her trauma and her life and her buying into this persona. Ultimately, I told her, ‘I’m really sorry that I judged you.’ I wanted her to be safe and comfortable,” Markle told Variety. “That episode is not framed as a defence of Paris; it’s the humanisation of her.”