![\"Courtney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7d13577da8b7bafac1563234be162d2ed68a87c258a7cc869b5b8e0e6557c362.png\")
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April 18, 2026 \u2014 2:20pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Freedom by George Michael boomed as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, took the stage at the Her Best Life retreat gala dinner in Sydney on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n Helped by husband Prince Harry, a surprise guest at the event who held her hand as she walked up, the duchess wore a cream two-piece from Australian label Scanlan Theodore for her conversation with the event\u2019s organiser, Gemma O\u2019Neill.<\/p>\n They spoke to a rapt audience of more than 200 women, some of whom had paid thousands to be in the room, at the Coogee Beach InterContinental hotel about Meghan\u2019s career, family life and the trappings of fame \u2013 although questions about her former royal life seemed to be off the table.<\/p>\n It was the headline event of the three-day retreat, and the penultimate stop on Meghan and Harry\u2019s Australian tour, which ended with their attendance at the Waratahs-Moana Pasifika rugby match that night<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier on Friday attendees checked in to the hotel as media were kept at a distance, told not to approach guests.<\/p>\n Related Article Liliana Sanelli, 49, travelled from Melbourne to attend the retreat with her best friend. The entrepreneur and philanthropist said the Q&A between O\u2019Neill and Meghan was \u201cf—ing fantastic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe majority of the women I spoke to last night were completely mesmerised by it,\u201d she said. \u201cShe converted a room of people who came in going, \u2018I\u2019m not sure what to expect\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanelli said Meghan did not address royal life at all. \u201cIt was more about her [Netflix] series, books, what she\u2019s doing, what\u2019s coming up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Marketing specialist and content creator Megan Towner, 39, travelled from the Gold Coast with her sister for the event. She said Meghan\u2019s main message was about \u201chow she wants to share positivity with the world\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was saying, you know, if we don\u2019t stand up for what\u2019s right and we don\u2019t sort of speak our truth, even if we\u2019re not the ones putting the negativity out there, if we\u2019re not actively stopping it or if we\u2019re not speaking up for what\u2019s right, then that\u2019s not good, either.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanelli said the entire room was captivated when Meghan spoke about her experience of online harassment.<\/p>\n \u201cShe shared that, every day, it\u2019s been a lot for them,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said, \u2018every day, as a woman, I get an article written about me in some form\u2019, and she said some of the horrible trolling, the clickbait, has affected her,\u201d Sanelli said, noting O\u2019Neill said she also received online backlash for organising the event.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a moment in the room where everyone saw the pain of women trying to give it a go but how quick to pull someone down rather than support them. And it was a really touching moment because we all had tears.\u201d<\/p>\n Meghan also opened up about her relationship with Harry (or \u201cH\u201d, as she calls him), who sat supportively by the stage. She spoke about how they made it a priority to have breakfast and often lunch together, and took turns doing school drop-offs.<\/p>\n Meghan, who received an appearance fee, was only at the event for two hours but that mattered not to the attendees. \u201cThere was no disappointment whatsoever,\u201d Towner said.<\/p>\n Having purchased the $3199 VIP package, Sanelli and Towner were both able to take a group photo with Meghan.<\/p>\n Sanelli said she was \u201creally engaging and kind\u201d, learning the names of the group and shaking their hands.<\/p>\n Towner even shared a laugh with her. \u201cWe had a bit of a joke because obviously we\u2019ve got the same name and I just said, well, mine\u2019s the Aussie version,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Once Meghan and Harry left, the guests had a three-course, alternate-drop meal. Afterwards, a dance floor broke out.<\/p>\n The night\u2019s DJ, Claire O\u2019Shea, described the vibe as \u201csuper fun\u201d with a \u201cmultigenerational\u201d crowd.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThere were women in their 20s dancing with their mums,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The event was the start of the Her Best Life retreat, hosted by O\u2019Neill, who has a podcast of the same name.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill was originally connected with Meghan through their mutual friend Markus Anderson, an executive at international private members\u2019 club Soho House, who also attended the event.<\/p>\n Other high-profile guests included radio personalities Jackie \u201cO\u201d Henderson, the former co-host of the Her Best Life podcast, whose career O\u2019Neill manages, and Carrie Bickmore.<\/p>\n It has been a tumultuous time for O\u2019Neill. At the start of the month she announced she would be taking a break from the podcast after having a miscarriage. Around the same time it was revealed her business, Gemmie Agency, had gone into voluntary liquidation, owing $546,000.<\/p>\n \u201cI stand by my integrity, I stand by my work and I stand by how I\u2019ve conducted myself in business over a very long career,\u201d O\u2019Neill said in a podcast episode about the break.<\/p>\n But recent events seemed far from the minds of those in the Coogee ballroom on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cGemma deserves credit,\u201d Sanelli said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s freaking hard to have the balls to do all of this and I admire people like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Gemma](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/e6828f137a9b0f9de5645a1c3d6a01f0f69b6e9a.jpeg\")
Gemma O\u2019Neill and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, spoke to a room of more than 200 women, including high-profile guests such as Jackie \u201cO\u201d Henderson and Carrie Bickmore.Liliana Sanelli<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b866f6f1d2db6e6498b9e1b4785e3c35c097a0a2.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Meghan,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1999223a4f20efced9b61513821f7f087ef08803.jpeg\")
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was the headline event of the Her Best Life retreat in Coogee, Sydney. Liliana Sanelli <\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1f10c0229b91f1b618e940c34f1b511445d0d5c4.jpeg\")
Harry also attended the event, playing supportive husband to Meghan for the night. Liliana Sanelli<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/aa524bfc09595fe329812bde66d32e01a7d47413.jpeg\")
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