Meghan Markle's Pricey Australian Girls' Retreat Was Missing One Key Attendee

By Shana Aborn
Meghan Markle wears her hair in a ponytail and smiles while looking to the left. Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's reputations have been tarnished by scandal virtually from the moment they met. (We hear Piers Morgan is still fuming over supposedly losing out on his chance with Meghan.) If their recent Australia trip is any indication, they show no sign of redeeming themselves anytime soon. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent a few days Down Under on a goodwill/charity tour, and came away just as poorly off as before, if not more so. Meghan's latest cash grab could sever her ties with the royals for good if they feel her OneOff merch page is just too tacky for words. But her appearance at a girls' weekend retreat was her "hold my Foster's" move.

Hosts Gemma O'Neill and Jackie Anderson of the "Her Best Life" podcast billed the three-day event as "an unforgettable weekend for women ready to reconnect, recharge and have some serious fun." They were "shocked" to be able to book the duchess as a special guest, and assured everyone "how excited Meghan is to join our community." At just under $2,700 per ticket, one would think this meant at least a whole day's worth of Sussexmania: a dinner, group yoga, maybe a meditation session.  

Seems Meghan wasn't "excited" enough for all that. Her stay at the swank InterContinental Coogee Beach hotel consisted of an evening Q&A in which she discussed her efforts to stay centered in the midst of media criticism. Then she participated in a group photo op — available only to attendees who chose an additional $500 VIP experience — before ducking out to join Harry for a rugby match. In all, the duchess spent about two hours at the retreat and left the hotel early the following morning.

Was Meghan's meet-and-greet worth the cost?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shaking hands with crowd Australia Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Even women who could afford the steep cost of the Sydney retreat must have felt just a tiny bit cheated that they didn't get more face time with Meghan Markle. Many left without even a photo to remember the occasion; Hello! reports that the guests were forbidden to photograph or record her Q&A session, and only those who paid for the upgrade could participate in the group shot. Yet there were no such restrictions when Meghan and Prince Harry made visits to the Royal Children's Hospital and other goodwill stops. The black-sheep royals happily shook hands and posed for selfies without so much as a hand-slapping from security or a request for money. 

More embarrassing still, the Daily Mail claims that the swanky weekend wasn't even a sellout. Last-minute tickets were reportedly still available, and even then, the hotel rooms may have gone empty. One X user noted that one photo of the event showed "the tables in the back haven't even been used, judging by the tableware." A sparse attendance plus a brief glimpse of the royal may have left a bad taste in guests' mouths that not even their Angus beef tenderloin dinner could replace.

The duchess certainly didn't leave Australia empty-handed. In addition to her profits from OneOff — a cash grab on Meghan's part at a most out-of-touch time — she got some much-needed publicity with an appearance on "MasterChef Australia." A PR expert told OLBG (via GB News), "There's a clear strategy at play here, and it very much points to a more permanent return to the world of mainstream celebrity being front of mind." Could the former "Suits" actor be looking to return to the small screen?

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