{"id":519024,"date":"2026-03-12T11:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/519024\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T11:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:52:08","slug":"meghan-markle-slammed-for-sky-high-price-of-luxury-retreat-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/519024\/","title":{"rendered":"Meghan Markle slammed for sky-high price of luxury retreat in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

As\u00a0Meghan Markle\u00a0prepares to headline a luxury women\u2019s retreat in Australia<\/a>, critics are raising eyebrows over the price tag \u2013 questioning the motive behind the duchess\u2019 latest venture.<\/p>\n

Markle has planned to headline a women\u2019s retreat in Australia for the podcast, \u201cHer Best Life.\u201d Podcast hosts \u201cJackie O\u201d Henderson and Gemma O\u2019Neill have recruited the former \u201cSuits\u201d star to lead the event, which will focus on \u201cpowerful conversations, relaxation, laughter and unforgettable experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attendees can become a part of the VIP experience for roughly $2,288 or lock down Early Bird tickets for $1,930.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill revealed she\u2019d be interviewing Markle as part of the event. According to O\u2019Neill, Markle became involved in the event as a favor for a mutual friend, but noted the former royal also \u201creally loves what our community is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest moment of the weekend \u2013 a gala dinner \u2013 was billed as an \u201cin-person conversation\u201d with Markle<\/a>. <\/p>\n

VIP guests will be allowed to partake in a group photo with the Duchess of Sussex and will also receive a goodie bag plus access to an ocean-view hotel room.<\/p>\n

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during a vist the National Centre for Rehabilitation of Addicts on Feb. 26, 2026. PA Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

One royal expert said the event offers a rare chance to see a more personal side of the duchess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel this is a wonderful opportunity for the guests to meet a Royal with a genuine heart and for Meghan to relax and be with people who wish to listen to her thoughts on life,\u201d Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. \u201cI have always said she is very underrated in some quarters and has had to battle through all adversities to survive and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlighting her longstanding commitment to service \u2013 from early activism to supporting Grenfell survivors through a community cookbook \u2013 Pelham noted Markle has \u201cproven time and again\u201d her empathy and makes those she meets \u201cfeel value.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not everyone is sold on the branding of Markle\u2019s latest endeavor.<\/p>\n

Meghan Markle speaks during the \u2018Responsible Digital Future\u2019 forum in Bogota on Aug. 15, 2024 AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cMarkle has consistently leaned into the moniker of \u2018entrepreneur\u2019 or \u2018founder,\u2019\u201d Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR told Fox News Digital, while acknowledging the title does not technically require a proven track record.<\/p>\n

Still, the branding expert argued that credibility hinges on sustained success. Referencing uneven reports surrounding As Ever and what he described as a lack of continuity in her ventures, Eldridge pointed to stalled acting work and a Netflix project that was not renewed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor someone who often talks about building, her record seems more in line with demolition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The planned return to Australia by\u00a0Markle and Prince Harry\u00a0<\/a>feels more commercial than royal, according to Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube\u2019s \u201cKinsey Schofield\u2019s Unfiltered.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cHarry is scheduled to appear as a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit, which focuses on workplace mental health. At the same time, Meghan is being positioned as the headline attraction at a luxury women\u2019s retreat at the InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach, where guests are paying for an intimate dinner and conversation with her while promotional materials highlight everything from her acting career on \u2018Suits\u2019 to her podcast \u2018Archetypes,\u2019 their work through Archewell Philanthropies and her lifestyle brand As Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, it\u2019s essentially a very expensive girls\u2019 weekend built around access to the former actress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The royal expert compared Markle and Prince Harry\u2019s focus on commercial success to\u00a0Sarah Ferguson\u2019s\u00a0similar phase in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate the 3-year anniversary of their marriage that took place on May 19, 2018 at Windsor Castle in London. BACKGRID<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen royals begin attaching their titles to a long list of ventures and paid appearances, it can come across less like influence and more like desperation,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of Meghan\u2019s recent projects have that same energy. When Harry and Meghan return to Australia in April, the reaction won\u2019t resemble the euphoric crowds of 2018. The mood is far more likely to be curiosity than excitement, with many Australians simply asking one question: Why are they here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The retreat highlights Markle\u2019s continued fall from grace, according to Helena Chard, British broadcaster and photographer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh how the mighty have fallen,\u201d Chard told Fox News Digital. \u201cMeghan is to be the highlight of what seems a fun, yet mediocre retreat event. Surely this is far too low brow for Meghan and highlights financial woes. It certainly doesn\u2019t seem to be a philanthropic event.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As\u00a0Meghan Markle\u00a0prepares to headline a luxury women\u2019s retreat in Australia, critics are raising eyebrows over the price tag…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[1246,236,11284,91,88,13407,9843],"class_list":["post-519024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrity-businesses","tag-celebrity-news","tag-entertainment","tag-luxury","tag-meghan-markle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}