Duchess to influencer: Meghan Markle reveals plans to release ‘short social media films’ after Netflix ended $100m deal 

Meghan Markle has hinted that she plans to post short social media videos featuring recipes while teaching at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit.

The Duchess of Sussex opened up about her life as a ‘high-profile business founder’ while attending a summit in Washington DC on Tuesday afternoon.

Appearing on stage at the Salamander DC Hotel, Meghan outlined her plans to ‘use her considerable influence to build a successful, long-lasting business empire’ since launching her lifestyle brand As Ever earlier this year.

She also talked about the changing nature of the brand and suggested moving away from her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, and towards more immediate, influencer-type content.

When asked if there would be a third season of the cooking series, the Duchess said: ‘The holiday special comes out in November and it’s really good. So we can say eight episodes for two seasons; This takes a lot of work.’

‘And having worked on Suits for seven years, I remember what went into production, how much people wanted different sizes of content. So what we are testing now is; It’s great to be able to sit down and watch a show for 30 minutes, but how can I give you a recipe and share it with you in two minutes? And it continues to grow as always.’

Meghan added: ‘So [I’m] We’re exploring all options for what this might look like.’

She also talked about her and Prince Harry’s new ‘first look’ deal with Netflix; some claimed this was a ‘downgrading’ of Sussex’s previous $100 million deal with the streaming giant.

The Duchess of Sussex attends Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit 2025 at the Salamander Hotel in Washington

Other speakers at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit include actress Selena Gomez (pictured)

The nature of the new setup means Netflix can say yes or no to new movie or TV projects before anyone else.

Meghan told crowd: ‘My husband and I had an overall agreement with Netflix […] and then its extension […] We’re currently in a first-look deal, which is also exciting because it gives us the flexibility to go to our partners first and also acquire content that may not be suitable for Netflix but has a home elsewhere.’

Today’s event – Next Level Influence: A Conversation With Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – was hosted by Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell and began at 5pm local time.

The event took place on the second day of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit, which the business magazine has organized annually since 1999.

Other speakers attending the summit included actress Selena Gomez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The appearance comes at a busy time in Meghan’s calendar, as she made a series of public appearances in New York with Prince Harry last week, including the couple receiving the Humanitarian of the Year award.

The Sussexes also attended the Mental Health Day Festival in the Big Apple and were later photographed heading to a sumptuous lunch at the city’s Soho House with pals and tennis legend Serena Williams.

Meghan’s appearance in Washington DC today will be her first appearance at the event in five years.

He explained how his lifestyle business, As Ever, came about and claimed it started during Covid, when he was spending a lot of time at home.

‘I’ve always loved sharing, I’ve always loved cooking and entertaining,’ she said.

‘Is there a job here? And I think that was probably most people’s assumption that if I was going to go into business it was going to be fashion or beauty. But during those five years at home, I wasn’t walking around wearing nice clothes, I was probably in Birkenstocks and sweating like the rest of us, especially during Covid or barefoot at home.

‘But I was making too much jam. So this became my passion project and something that I turned into a business.’

Meghan also talked about her life as the founder of the lifestyle brand, her new products, and ‘navigating entrepreneurship in the public eye and creating a lasting brand.’

The description of the event, which took place at 17.00 GMT, reads as follows: ‘Earlier this year, the Duchess of Sussex launched her brand As Ever, inspired by her love of cooking and entertaining.

‘She has also appeared in a number of Netflix shows, including the latest lifestyle series With Love, Meghan and launched podcasts.

‘He joins us to discuss the opportunities and challenges of life as a highly visible founder, and how he plans to use his significant influence to build a successful, long-lasting business empire.’

In October 2020, Meghan spoke at Fortune’s Next Generation Most Powerful Women Virtual Summit to discuss “bold leadership” and share how she learned to “lead on a global stage.”

Meghan spoke at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival on Friday last week

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attended the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week on October 4.

Meghan then looked elegant in all black in another Balenciaga outfit in Paris on October 4.

For the occasion, she looked elegant in a $328 blue-and-white strappy dress by African-American designer Tracy Reese’s sustainable brand Hope for Flowers.

However, at the time, it was reported that guests had to pay $1,750 for the privilege and that summit tickets were limited to invited guests willing to pay the hefty registration fee.

Meghan appeared at the Balenciaga Spring-Summer 2026 show in Paris nine days ago in a hectic event in October, and her bold white and black outfits made headlines around the world.

Although it was her first attempt to be taken seriously by the world of high fashion, Meghan found her whirlwind tour of the French capital beset by gaffes and awkward moments.

She also shared an awkward kiss with Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, eventually butting heads with him as she leaned in for an embrace.

He later faced claims he may have made another front-row blunder after video emerged of a model appearing to laugh as she did somersaults next to her stone-faced friend on the Balenciaga catwalk.

When her friend didn’t look amused, Meghan returned to watch the show with a more neutral expression, but a rep insisted she wasn’t laughing at the model’s fall.

Balenciaga’s top designer has revealed he had to ask for an invite to attend Meghan’s catwalk debut during her polarizing trip to Paris.

The Duchess of Sussex said her visit to Fashion Week in the French capital was the ‘culmination of years of friendship’ with Pierpaolo Piccioli.

But Mr. Piccioli gave a quieter response, suggesting their friendship consisted of casual text messaging.

Prince Harry and Meghan before receiving the Humanitarians of the Year award on Thursday

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had lunch with tennis legend Serena Williams at Soho House in New York last Friday.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival at Spring Studios on the same day

In a new interview, the famous clothing designer revealed that Meghan asked if she could join him instead of sending him an invitation.

But Mr Piccioli said it was a ‘nice surprise’ and had helped keep his visit to his Paris show secret.

She returned to the states last week before visiting New York with her husband, Prince Harry.

On Thursday, the couple attended the World Mental Health Day Gala where they were named ‘Humanitarians of the Year’.

While accepting the award, Meghan expressed concerns about how the couple’s social media would affect their six-year-old children, Lilibet and Archie.

He said: ‘Our children Archie and Lili are just six and four. Fortunately, we are still too young for social media, but we know that day will come.

‘Like many parents, we are constantly thinking about how to reap the benefits of technology while protecting ourselves against its dangers.’

The Duke of Sussex, 41, was honored as a ‘humanitarian, mental health advocate, environmentalist and military combat veteran’, while Meghan was recognized as a ‘mother, wife, entrepreneur and philanthropist’.