Meghan Markle has shot herself in the foot with her latest ‘tone deaf’ venture (Image: Getty)
Meghan Markle has launched countless reinventions since stepping away from royal life. But her latest venture may prove the most tone-deaf yet. Prince Harry’s wife is set to headline a women-only retreat in Sydney next month – a glossy three-day gathering promising empowerment, connection and personal growth.
The price of entry? A staggering £1,400. If you want the VIP experience which includes front-row seating and a group photograph with Meghan herself – that rises to roughly £1,700.
For an event billed as a space for “real, raw and vulnerable conversations”, the figures raise an obvious question: vulnerable for whom?
Because for many women, particularly those living through Australia’s ongoing housing pressures and cost-of-living squeeze, that kind of ticket price is not a weekend retreat. It is a luxury holiday.
READ MORE: Netflix ‘not happy’ with Meghan Markle’s As Ever brand, insider claims
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will jet to Australia in April (Image: Getty)
The contradiction is hard to ignore. Meghan, 44, has spent years positioning herself as someone striving to reconnect with ordinary people.
In a 2025 interview with Bloomberg, the Duchess insisted she simply wanted the public to remember she is just like anyone else – “a real person”, in her own words. Yet a “real person” event priced well into the four figures feels less like connection and more like exclusivity.
When entry costs well into four figures, the idea of being relatable quickly unravels.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend several days in Australia (Image: Getty)
When a weekend wellness retreat costs so much, it inevitably raises eyebrows. And it feeds into a growing criticism that Meghan’s post-royal ventures increasingly feel like another example of cashing in on the monarchy that made her a global name in the first place.
If the aim is empowerment, the economics undermine the message. Many everyday women would have to save for months to attend something like this. Others simply could not justify it.
That reality makes the marketing language feel strangely hollow.
The retreat itself promises a carefully curated schedule of wellness sessions, motivational talks, yoga classes and meditation workshops, culminating in a gala dinner where Meghan will take part in a relaxed conversation with the audience.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will return to Australia 7 years after their royal tour (Image: Getty)
It is being pitched as an unforgettable weekend designed to help women reconnect and become their “best selves”. But empowerment has always rung truer when it feels accessible.
And that is where Meghan appears to have shot herself squarely in the foot.
The timing is awkward, too. It arrived just days after it emerged that Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever had ended its partnership with Netflix – the same streaming giant that once signed the Sussexes to a deal reportedly worth around $100 million.
Her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan managed to squeeze out two seasons and a festive special, but struggled to build significant audience momentum.
In other words, the glossy media empire once promised after the couple’s royal exit continues to look less like a cultural takeover and more like a series of pivots.
Meghan Markle has departed with her contract with Netflix amid her With Love, Meghan show (Image: Netflix )
This is just another reinvention. Another recalibration. And now, another carefully branded venture.
But the optics become even more curious when viewed through the lens of royal geopolitics.
Prince William and Princess Catherine have already received an official invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit the country – an offer extended during a meeting with King Charles at Balmoral last year.
Kensington Palace has yet to confirm whether that tour will happen. If it does, it will inevitably draw enormous global attention. Which makes Meghan’s decision to appear in Australia ahead of any potential royal visit look suspiciously strategic.
At best, it is a coincidence. At worst, it feels like a race to occupy the spotlight first.
There are no reports that suggest Meghan Markle will do another ‘With Love, Meghan’ season (Image: netflix)
None of this means the Sydney event will flop. Meghan still commands curiosity, global recognition and a devoted audience who remain invested in her story.
But the venture’s contradiction at its heart is difficult to ignore. A duchess who insists she wants to be seen as relatable is preparing to headline a conversation about authenticity behind a paywall that most people cannot afford.
It is a curious definition of “real”. And if Meghan truly wants to rebuild trust with the public, the question is not why critics are raising eyebrows.
It is why she didn’t simply say no. Because sometimes the most damaging missteps are not the ones forced upon you. They are the ones you walk into yourself.