Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have only recently returned to Britain, and British television has already given them a distinctly unfriendly welcome home.
Saturday Night Live UK opened its Sept. 12 Season 2 premiere with Jack Shep and Ayoade Bamgboye playing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they arrived unannounced at Balmoral Castle. “Daddy, I’m home,” Shep’s Harry announced before the fictional King Charles began questioning exactly why they had come back.
The sketch quickly worked through the couple’s royal exit, their Netflix business, Meghan’s lifestyle career and one of the most sensitive controversies to emerge from their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The real Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in late August after six years based primarily in California. They have not returned to royal duties, and King Charles formally reaffirmed their status as non-working members of the family days before the episode aired.
Harry Walks Into Balmoral With ‘Daddy, I’m Home’
The cold open begins with Larry Dean’s King Charles and Emma Sidi’s Queen Camilla expecting a quiet stay at Balmoral before Harry and Meghan appear at the door. Current coverage of the sketch confirms Shep and Bamgboye made their first appearances as the Sussexes in the Season 2 opener. Page Six reported that the scene immediately turns the couple’s non-working status into the joke.
Charles questions what they are doing at the castle and reminds them that it is for royals. Meghan eventually explains that they are moving back to Britain and need some help, which sends the fictional King directly toward the couple’s post-royal finances.
“Don’t tell me you spent all your Netflix money already,” he asks. Shep’s Harry replies that it was “$60 million” and wonders how long that amount was supposed to last before suggesting he would settle for “a Duchy or two.” The exchange turns Harry’s real-life return into an exaggerated reversal of the decision he and Meghan made in 2020.
The $60 Million Netflix Line Is a Joke, Not a Confirmed Deal Figure
The streaming company has been closely tied to Harry and Meghan’s post-royal career, but the $60 million figure should stay inside quotation marks as part of the sketch.
Harry and Meghan signed their original multi-year Netflix production agreement in 2020. Contemporary reporting said the value was not disclosed, even though later entertainment coverage frequently attached estimates as high as $100 million to the partnership.
The original exclusive structure has since changed. In August 2025, Netflix announced a new multi-year first-look agreement with Archewell Productions covering film and television projects.
Under that arrangement, Archewell can develop projects and give Netflix the first opportunity to consider them rather than operating under the same broad exclusive setup associated with the original deal.
Meghan’s Kitchen Persona Becomes the Next Target
The sketch moves from streaming money to Meghan’s lifestyle career almost as soon as she enters Balmoral. Bamgboye’s Meghan gives Camilla a homemade block of ice and offers to share the recipe while describing herself as something of a “wiz in the kitchen.”
Harry immediately undercuts her by saying she hires “the best cooks,” aiming squarely at With Love, Meghan, the Netflix lifestyle series built around cooking, entertaining, gardening and crafts.
The real series premiered in March 2025 and returned for a second season that August. Netflix describes the show as Meghan welcoming friends, chefs and other guests while sharing cooking, hosting and DIY ideas, and the program has remained part of the company’s continuing relationship with Archewell.
The Sketch Reaches Back to the Oprah Interview
At one point Sidi’s Camilla greets Meghan as “brown as ever,” turning one of the most serious disputes surrounding Harry and Meghan’s royal departure into a deliberately uncomfortable punchline.
During the couple’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said there had been conversations and concerns before Archie’s birth about how dark his skin might be. Harry later confirmed that a conversation had occurred but declined to identify the person involved.
Buckingham Palace responded by saying the issues raised about race were concerning while adding that “some recollections may vary.” Prince William was later asked publicly about the allegations and replied that the royals were “very much not a racist family.”
Harry and Meghan Really Are Back, but Not as Working Royals
Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, in late August after six years primarily based in the United States. The family established a home base outside London and enrolled the children in school in Britain while retaining their California home. Their move has been described as an extended return rather than a restoration of their former palace life.
Reuters reported that a letter issued on his behalf to senior officials reaffirmed the arrangement established in 2020. Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals and conduct their commercial and charitable activities in a private capacity.
Harry and Meghan Weren’t Even the Cold Open’s Final Target
The Sussexes dominate the first part of the sketch, but the political target soon changes. George Fouracres enters as Prime Minister Andy Burnham after Harry complains that not wanting to be royal does not mean he wants to become a “regular guy.”
Unlike the Balmoral reunion, Burnham’s new title is real. He became U.K. prime minister in July 2026, and the sketch pivots toward his public image and promises before allowing him to take over much of the remaining cold open.
The episode launched the second series of the British adaptation, with Jeff Goldblum serving as host and CMAT as musical guest. Sky confirmed that all 11 original cast members returned for Series 2, with Freddie Meredith joining the ensemble.