Saturday Night Live’s United Kingdom version has made a joke about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry coming back to Britain. The sketch draws attention to the timing of their return, which happens just before Harry’s book is released. The show’s approach treats the couple’s arrival as tied closely to the promotion of Harry’s book.
The sketch does not offer a direct quote from either Markle or Harry. Instead, it uses the timing of their return as its central point, with the book release serving as the reason for the couple’s trip.
Saturday Night Live UK’s Season 2 premiere kicked off with Jack Shep and Ayoade Bamgboye taking on the roles of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who head to Balmoral Castle to pay a visit to King Charles and Queen Camilla. The sketch took aim at the pair’s reported return to Britain, their lifestyle brand, and their Netflix deal — and one line referencing their 2021 Oprah interview set off a wave of online reaction.
“Oh, geez. I hope they play this in the U.S.; it would be the first time I’ve watched SNL in almost ten years,” wrote one commenter. The jokes quickly spread online, with viewers divided over whether the roast was brutal comedy or mean-spirited mockery.
Harry Walks In and Says ‘Daddy, I’m Home’
The sketch began with Harry walking into the castle and announcing, “Daddy, I’m home.” Charles, played by Larry Dean, immediately asked whether they had already spent their Netflix money.
“Don’t tell me you’ve spent all your Netflix money already,” Charles said.
Harry then joked about the size of the deal. “It was $60 million. How long was it meant to last?”
The line played on the couple’s reported Netflix agreement, which became a running joke throughout the sketch. Harry’s response suggested the money had not yet run out — but the implication was that it might soon.
Markle Hands Camilla an Ice Tray
Bamgboye’s Meghan handed Camilla an ice tray and then made a claim, “I made it myself. I can give you the recipe. I’m kind of a wiz in the kitchen.”
Harry then added, “It’s true, she hires the best cooks.”
The sketch made light of Markle’s Netflix show With Love, Meghan, which had her cooking, hosting, and entertaining. It treated her household skills as a marketing stunt rather than real cooking talent, turning her lifestyle brand into the subject of the joke.
A later addition to the sketch featured Andy Burnham, portrayed by George Fouracres. The gag revolved around Burnham joking that Harry and Markle wished to live like “normal folk,” while simultaneously taking a dig at his own political image.
Camilla Calls Markle ‘As Brown As Ever’
The line that drew the most attention was when Camilla addressed Markle, calling her “as brown as ever.”. That reference was to how the couple’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which Markle said that someone within the royal family had raised concerns about how dark her and Harry’s future child’s skin might look.
During the interview, Markle made a statement that included the remark “There were conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”.
She declined to name the individual involved. Harry likewise refused to disclose who had made the remarks, saying, “That conversation I am never going to share.”
At the time, the remarks sparked a significant dispute within the royal household. Prince William subsequently pushed back against the notion that the royal family harbored racist views, saying, “We’re very much not a racist family.” The Queen herself responded to the allegations with a measured statement, acknowledging that the matters raised, “particularly that of race, are concerning,” while also noting that “recollections may vary.”
Viewers Weigh In on the Sketch
The jokes on SNL fast split viewers into two camps, even though many people plainly enjoyed watching the Sussexes turned into the butt of an SNL-style roast. A number of viewers instead fixated on the casting choice of a Black actor to play Markle.
A single netizen penned “Megsy gonna be so pissed about being played by an actual black woman,”.
The sketch’s casting choice became part of the discussion, with some viewers praising the decision to have a Black actor play Markle. Others saw it as a pointed move, given the history of the couple’s relationship with the press and the royal family.
The Netflix Money Joke Lands
A sketch about Harry burning through the Netflix money made for an easy laugh. The pair struck a major multi-year agreement with the streaming service after stepping away from royal duties, with their projects including Harry & Meghan and Markle’s With Love, Meghan lifestyle series.
The arrangement with Netflix ran for five years before it concluded in September 2025, at which point the company opted against extending it. Subsequently, the two parties entered into a fresh “multi-year, first-look” contract via Archewell Productions.
An insider described the newer arrangement as “not much,” which he said carried little risk for Netflix. This made the sketch’s joke about Harry supposedly burning through the Netflix money an easy punchline.
Reaction to the Sketch
A few believed the sketch was harsh enough to match a well-known caricature of the pair.
“This is as funny as South Park, and somehow I think this will make them even MORE pissed off lol lol!” one viewer wrote.
A comment from another person said, “This isn’t a comeback. It’s a prime-time public execution of two people who apparently mistook humiliation for a royal return.”
Others were even less impressed with Harry and Markle themselves. “They make themselves supremely easy to mock and spoof,” one viewer said. And one viewer said, “They’re such worldwide embarrassments.”
Years of public disputes, royal controversies, and media scrutiny have badly harmed the couple’s image, and the SNL sketch laid bare that damage by assembling the pieces into a single, pointed roast rather than inventing anything new.
The Couple’s Reported UK Plans
Harry and Markle were reportedly getting ready to spend more time in Britain after moving to California in 2020, and at the same moment their children, Archie and Lilibet, were reportedly enrolling in a private school in Britain.
Because the sketch premiered at a time when the couple’s return to Britain had not yet been confirmed, it drew on the reported plans as the foundation for its humor.
The Line That Sticks
The “as brown as ever” line is likely to be the one remembered. It references a real controversy, delivered with a casual cruelty that feels designed to sting. Whether it lands as comedy or as insult depends on the listener.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premise | Harry and Markle reportedly returning to Britain, triggering a roast |
| Key line | Camilla calls Markle “as brown as ever” |
| Netflix deal | $60 million deal referenced |
| Oprah interview | Markle said conversations about how dark her child’s skin might be |
| Reaction | Divided, with some calling it brutal and others praising it |
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