‘SNL UK’ Targets Royal Race Claims, Lifestyle Empire, and Netflix Millions in Season 2 Cold Open

The Saturday Night Live UK Season 2 premiere went beyond logistical jokes about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s UK relocation, delivering pointed satire on their commercial fortune, Meghan’s lifestyle branding, and the historic royal race controversy.
Broadcast on Sky on Saturday, September 12, the cold open saw cast members Jack Shep and Ayoade Bamgboye debut their impressions of Harry and Meghan, visiting Balmoral Castle where Larry Dean and Emma Sidi reprised their roles as King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The Netflix Fortune and ‘Duchy’ Jabs

After Harry’s cheerful entrance—announcing “Daddy, I’m home”—the sketch quickly targeted the couple’s post-royal commercial viability:
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Depleted Funds: Dean’s King Charles immediately demanded to know whether they had returned because they had burned through their lucrative commercial contracts: “Don’t tell me you spent all your Netflix money already”.
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The Whiny Rebuttal: Shep’s Harry defended their spending habits by complaining about the finite nature of high-profile entertainment deals, protesting: “Daddy, it was $60 million! How long was it meant to last? I’m not asking for much”.
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Commercial Reality: The gag highlights the evolution of Archewell Productions’ media footprint, referencing the transition from their original blockbuster overall deal into their current first-look production arrangement.
Camilla’s Greeting and the 2021 Oprah Interview

The sharpest cultural moment came when Camilla (Emma Sidi) greeted the returning couple:
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The Dialogue: Welcoming them into the sitting room, Camilla says: “Hello, sweet Harry… and beautiful Meghan, as brown as ever”.
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The Context: The line directly skewers the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where the couple revealed that an unnamed royal family member had raised “concerns and conversations” about how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin might be.
Deconstructing the Lifestyle Brand
Meghan’s culinary and domestic ventures—most notably her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan and consumer label As Ever—were parodied through performative luxury:
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The Homemade Ice: Bamgboye’s Meghan proudly gifts Queen Camilla an ice tray, claiming, “It’s ice. I made it myself. I can give you the recipe. I’m kind of a wiz in the kitchen”.
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Harry’s Correction: Shep’s Harry immediately undercuts her domestic pretensions, chiming in: “It’s true. She hires the best cooks”.
Political Appearance: Andy Burnham as the ‘Regular Guy’
The cold open also wove in current British politics following the Lord Chamberlain’s memo declaring the Sussexes “akin to private citizens”:
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The ‘Regular Guy’ Line: When Shep’s Harry argued that not wanting to be a working royal didn’t mean he wanted to be an ordinary person, the bit prompted a cameo by Prime Minister Andy Burnham (played by George Fouracres).
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The Monologue: Parodying his relatable political persona, Fouracres’ Burnham declared: “Like Gary Barlow before me, I’m just a regular man from the north with a dream, a relatable manner and a massive son,” convincing the Sussexes to embrace being “regular” before transitioning into host Jeff Goldblum’s musical monologue.