Meghan Markle Shares Look at N.Y.C. Trip, Including a Friend Reunion and Filming ‘Something Fun’

Meghan Markle had a jam-packed day in New York City as she unveiled her Netflix series With Love, Meghan and lifestyle brand As ever.

On March 4, the Duchess of Sussex posted about her time in the Big Apple on her Instagram Stories. She first revealed she was in N.Y.C. on March 3 when she surprised some longtime fans at a special screening of her new show on the eve of its premiere.

The first video showed Meghan from behind as she walked down a hallway and turned to smile over her shoulder.

“Filmed something fun while in the city today…” she captioned the clip.

The Instagram Stories then moved to a slide recapping her “full circle” meeting with a fan named Emily, who she described as a “longtime follower of my page.” Another caption on the Instagram Stories said that they had been in contact since 2011 but met for the first time in 2016.

“I’m so happy for all The Tig support group followers,” she said in the caption, referencing the loyal fan base that has followed her since she ran her original lifestyle site The Tig from 2014 to 2017. The group got together for the With Love, Meghan screening on March 3, where there was Tiganello wine (the inspiration for the blog’s name) and some even got As ever tattoos in homage to her new brand.

The next slide showed a closeup photo of a basket of fruit with flowers and one of As ever’s official products: raspberry spread. Meghan described “jam as my jam” in the February video announcing her lifestyle venture’s new name, calling back to the first product she sent to friends when she teased her brand, originally called American Riviera Orchard, in March 2024.

The preserves are part of a collection of food products revealed on March 4 that will be for sale on asever.com in the U.S. this spring.

Meghan’s visit to New York also included an under-the-radar visit with her friend Gloria Steinem. The snap showed the pair sitting close together on a couch with their heads together, where the Duchess of Sussex wrapped her arm around Steinem.

“And a quick hug @gloriasteinem,” she wrote over the photo, tagging the feminist icon who has previously celebrated Thanksgiving with her, Prince Harry and their kids Prince Archie, 5 and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, at their home in Montecito, California.

The Duchess of Sussex’s final Instagram Stories post from March 4 was taken in Times Square. A video showed a digital billboard showing the trailer for With Love, Meghan above yellow taxi cabs.

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Meghan stepped in front of the camera for her new lifestyle series, which sees her cook, create and entertain with friends new and old across eight episodes. She served as both host and executive producer for the project filmed in Montecito, which she describes to PEOPLE as “a love letter to California.”

In this week’s exclusive PEOPLE cover story, the Duchess of Sussex opens up about her new show, lifestyle brand and private life at home with her family. With Love, Meghan premiered on Netflix two weeks after shared that she was changing her brand’s name from American Riviera Orchard to As ever to increase options for products. 

“There are tons of twists and turns — even with the name,” Meghan tells PEOPLE about launching the new business. “I was figuring it out in real time.”

Although she has faced scrutiny, the Duchess of Sussex says the experience has been defined by growth and excitement.

“I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that. It’s a learning curve,” she says. 

Meghan brings her personal passions for cooking, hostessing, decorating and more to her biggest audience yet on Netflix.

“When your children get to a certain age — when you’re not just playing in the sandbox with them but almost playing in your own sandbox again — it’s super joyful,” the Duchess of Sussex says.

“As a woman, a mom and a wife, to be able to find yourself again — in a way that was always present but that you maybe couldn’t put as much attention on as you now can when your kids are a little bit older — is a wonderful feeling.”