Meghan Markle's lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, has secured a spot in Netflix's global top 10 most-watched programs, despite being widely derided by critics.
The series, which debuted on March 4, has been renewed for a second season.
Netflix has confirmed the show's entry into the global top 10, albeit at number 10 with 2.6 million views.
This pales in comparison to the chart-topping Running Point, starring Kate Hudson, which garnered 12.2 million views.
Other programmes outperforming With Love, Meghan include the Robert De Niro-led thriller Zero Day (7.5 million views) and the British true-crime drama Toxic Town (4.7 million views).
The top 10 also featured Halo, American Murder: Gabby Petito, Beauty In Black, WWE’s Raw, Andrew Schulz: Life, and Formula 1: Drive To Survive.
In the UK, Toxic Town, starring Jodie Whittaker, claimed the top spot, while With Love, Meghan landed in seventh place.
Netflix said that its viewership metrics are based on total hours watched divided by runtime, not the sheer number of individual viewers.
The duchess’s latest Netflix series was panned by critics, with The Guardian describing it as a “gormless lifestyle filler” and “so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show”.
The Telegraph, meanwhile, branded it “insane” and an “exercise in narcissism”.
The Independent gave it a one-star review, calling it “queasy and exhausting”.
In the eight-part show, the former Suits actor gives hosting tips and cooks with celebrity friends including The Office star Mindy Kaling.
The Duke of Sussex makes just one appearance at the end of the first season’s final episode when he joins Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland and friends for an outdoor celebratory brunch.
Meghan said it “feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you”, in what is likely to be seen as a nod to the restrictions she felt within the royal family.
She told People magazine that her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, visited her on set, which she called “really special because up until then, they hadn’t seen me at work”, and spoke about her and Harry having a daily “nightcap recap”, where they discussed their day.
“My husband met me when I had (the former lifestyle website) The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,” she said.
“It’s almost like a honeymoon period again.”
The duchess last week launched her lifestyle brand As Ever, with her website revealing her first products: raspberry jam, and the flower sprinkles she promotes throughout the show.
The Sussexes, who signed a multimillion-pound deal with Netflix in 2020, have previously put out the controversial Harry & Meghan documentary, which features accusations against the royal family, and sport show Polo.
The second season of With Love, Meghan is coming in the autumn, and has already finished filming, according to Netflix.
