How Meghan Markle (44) Feeds Archie and Lilibet on a Royal-Free Budget

Meghan Markle stepped away from formal royal life years ago, and her approach to feeding her own kids looks nothing like the palace kitchens she left behind. Archie and Lilibet’s actual meals sound a lot closer to an ordinary American household than anyone might expect.

Markle has talked openly about what dinner actually looks like on a normal weeknight in Montecito, and the answer is refreshingly unfussy. It has far less to do with fine dining and far more to do with keeping everyone fed and happy.

None of it involves a private chef preparing elaborate spreads every night. Here is what Archie and Lilibet’s meals actually look like, straight from Markle herself.

Weeknights Look A Lot Like Everyone Else’s

When it is just her and the kids for dinner, Markle has said she often leans on whatever is already in the freezer, chicken nuggets, veggie burgers and tater tots included. That admission surprised plenty of fans expecting something closer to her polished Netflix show.

Takeout makes regular appearances too, and Markle has said she does not treat it as a lesser option. “Even when I get takeout, I will try to plate it beautifully,” she told People.

The Traditions She Actually Kept From Childhood

Breakfast at home tends to stay simple too, built around fried eggs and plenty of bacon for her husband and Archie. On busier mornings, a frozen waffle in the toaster counts as a perfectly acceptable backup plan.

Some habits go back even further than her own kids. Markle makes sun tea for Archie and Lilibet the same way her own mother made it for her, steeping a tea bag in a mason jar of water left out in the sun.

Getting The Kids Involved In The Kitchen

Lilibet has already taken on an informal role as taste tester during family cooking sessions, sampling homemade strawberry jam straight from the pot and offering her verdict directly to camera. Archie tends to show up for the lighter moments too, from picking roses in the garden to helping with weekend pancakes.

Not every kitchen experiment goes according to plan, and Markle has been open about that too. She has admitted she does not particularly enjoy baking because of how precisely it has to be measured, a comment she made while filming with pastry chef Christina Tosi, according to Yahoo.

None of this looks like a chef trained menu built for royalty, and that seems to be exactly the point. Archie and Lilibet’s actual meals sound like frozen waffles, jam made together in the kitchen and a mom who would rather keep it simple than perfect.