Jackie ‘O’ Henderson’s manager and podcast co-host, Gemma O’Neill, has alluded that Meghan Markle will not be paid for her upcoming appearance at the Her Best Life Retreat in Sydney.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, stunned fans when it was confirmed she will travel to Australia next month to appear as a guest speaker at the luxury retreat at Coogee’s InterContinental Hotel.
However, despite tickets for the weekend selling for a whopping $3,000 each, organiser O’Neill revealed Meghan is headlining the event “as a favour”.
“I’m going to answer probably something that I think would feel fairly obvious, ‘Oh it must be costing you a fortune to have Meghan come to your event’,” O’Neill said on Wednesday as she announced the duchess’ participation.
“Um, no guys, I think you all know, the community knows, I don’t have that kind of money guys. That’s not on the cards for me.
“But what I will say is that she is effectively doing this as a favour to our mutual friend,” she added, as reported by 9Honey.
O’Neill confirmed that Meghan’s involvement in the event was facilitated by their mutual friend, Markus Anderson.
Anderson, a Canadian consultant for Soho House, has been a friend of the Duchess of Sussex for many years and was previously credited with arranging her blind date with Prince Harry.
O’Neill said Anderson messaged her from Meghan’s Montecito mansion at the end of 2025 to ask whether she would be up for collaborating with the former actress if she ever returned to Australia.
Jackie O’s manager admitted she was reluctant at first, but said Anderson is a “top-notch human” and he “wouldn’t be close with someone who wasn’t the same”.
O’Neill was later contacted by “someone on Meghan’s team” and her appearance at the event was finalised.
“All of my dealings with Meghan’s team have been so lovely, they’re so delightful,” she added.
Guests at the Her Best Life Retreat will attend “a gala dinner featuring an in-person conversation with Meghan”, and those who purchase $3,199 tickets will get a “group table photo” with the duchess.
The retreat will take place from April 17 to 19 and is limited to just 300 people.
While O’Neill will be heavily involved in the retreat, it is unclear whether Henderson will be in attendance after stepping away from the Besties brand and podcast earlier this year.
As well as travelling to Sydney, Meghan and Harry are also expected to visit Melbourne, where the duke will appear as a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Summit.
The visit marks the couple’s first trip Down Under since their royal tour in 2018.