Meghan appears on The Drew Barrymore Show in rare TV interview, gushes over Harry

Meghan Markle appears on The Drew Barrymore Show. Photos / The Drew Barrymore Show

Meghan Markle has been introduced by her preferred surname “Sussex” for the first time and gushed over her “hot” connection with Prince Harry during a rare TV interview in the US.

The Duchess of Sussex popped up on The Drew Barrymore Show on Thursday, just two days after the long-awaited premiere of her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.

While the show has been largely savaged by critics for being dull, one interesting point emerged during a scene in which Meghan was hosting her celebrity friend, Mindy Kaling – and corrected her on her preferred family name after the actress called her “Markle”.

Judging by her introduction on her daytime talk show, it was clear host Drew Barrymore had got the message, loud and clear.

“This is the Fast Five with Meghan Sussex,” Barrymore announced, as the audience applauded.

Meghan was then asked a series of rapid-fire questions, including what aspects of her husband, Prince Harry, she sees in their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

“They say some words with a British accent, like they’ll say ‘zebra’ [in a British accent], and they have these little moments where it comes out … Because they have very American accents … And I just think it’s adorable.”

Barrymore then asked: “You talk about surprise and delight with your guests, when was the last time you were surprised and delighted?”

“Last night … when I went back to my hotel, there was this sweet card from my kids and my husband saying ‘we’re so proud of you Mama, congrats on the show!’ and with flowers, and I just thought, ‘Okay, here we go’. I just felt so loved. So [Harry] had planned it in advance to make sure it was there when I got to my hotel room, it was really sweet,” she said.

In her sit-down chat with Barrymore, Meghan became visibly flustered when the host pointed out how “hot” she and Harry are for each other.

“Every time I ever know anyone who ever knows you guys talk about how hot — this is the keyword. Everyone. And they are different people from different walks of lives,” Barrymore began, prompting Meghan to nervously ask: “What is she about to say?”

Harry and Meghan shared a kiss in With Love, Meghan. Photo / Netflix

Barrymore continued: “They go, ‘They’re so hot for each other’.”

Meghan then put her face in her hands as she giggled, while Barrymore went on: “Hearing you, there is such a romance to it. Every time I see a photo of you, you’re holding hands, you’re kissing, you are so affectionate.”

“Life is full of surprises,” Meghan responded.

“I did not expect to meet H and for this to be our love story. I’m very lucky I’m married to the funniest, sweetest, most charming … and he’s an amazing father. I count my blessings because I have him.”

At another point, Meghan opened up about the couple’s rarely-seen children, telling Barrymore how she managed to “show up” for them in creative ways when she couldn’t physically be there.

“I always make it a point when I’m travelling if I can’t do bedtime stories with my kids because Archie and Lily are just 3 and 5, so I’ll always pack a really thin book and I’ll videotape myself reading it so whoever’s with them or Papa can say, ‘Here’s Mama reading your bedtime story,’” she said.

“You find ways to show up for each other and if that’s the one thing that I can convey through the show or through As Ever as a brand, I want people to know you can show up for each other because you know how good it feels when someone shows up for you.”

Elsewhere, Meghan also revealed that the show where she first found fame, Suits, had originally been called A Legal Mind, but had been changed at the last minute.

The TV appearance comes after the premiere of Meghan’s Netflix series, in which Kaling had joked that “people wouldn’t believe Meghan Markle ate at Jack in the Box,” after the duchess admitted to eating fast food as a child.

“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” Meghan told her.

“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children’. I didn’t know how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to go, this is our family name, our little family name.”