Every single photo of the Duchess of Sussex in Australia just reinforced something I’ve always believed: as soon as Meghan arrived in that staid, pearl-clutching, racist institution, they were mad as hell. They were mad because she’s so beautiful, so charming, so real. They were incandescent with rage at her luminosity. She was never going to get a fair shake from those people. These are photos of Meghan from her appearance at the Her Best Life retreat. Per her OneOff account, Meghan wore a Scanlan Theodore cashmere tank, Scanlan Theodore trousers, Aquazzura pumps and Cartier jewelry. She looked gorgeous! (Note by CB: Vera Wang for Kohl’s has an affordable sleeveless sweater tank with scarf. Target has wide-legged pants that are similar.) This was my favorite outfit of the whole Australian tour. Meanwhile, you know how Salt Island was screaming and carrying on over Meghan’s appearance at this retreat? Well, Meghan turned up, did exactly what she was paid to do, and left. The tabloids are furious because they worked themselves into a lather, lying for weeks about how Meghan would be personally robbing wealthy yoga moms and shoving jam down people’s throats.
Fans paid upward of $3,199 to see Meghan Markle at a weekend retreat in Sydney on Friday, but the Duchess of Sussex only attended the pricey event for a mere two hours. The 44-year-old “With Love, Meghan” star and Prince Harry, 41, showed up to the InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach resort at 5 p.m. local time just to drive away 120 minutes later in a luxury Range Rover.
Markle was reportedly paid $150,000 for her special guest appearance, per Daily Mail, while attendees dished out big bucks for the chance to ask her questions and pose for pics.
While the duchess joined “Her Best Life” podcast co-host Gemma O’Neill — who organized the annual retreat with co-host Jackie Henderson — onstage for a Q&A session, she complained about her “very hard” public life during the in-person conversation. Markle also gushed about the “amazing moments” she’s experienced since meeting Harry in 2016, like getting married and welcoming two kids, but emphasized the attacks she’s had to “endure” ever since.
Critics of the Sussexes have since rushed to social media to share their thoughts about Markle’s brief two-hour stay at the retreat dubbed “Megstock” because of the duchess’ expected participation.
“Why did Meghan Markle not even share a meal with women who had paid $3000 to spend ‘retreat’ time with her? How is that kind?” one person tweeted.
“She didn’t go down there to spend time with any of those people, just to get a few PR photos and collect her share of the takings,” claimed another.
However, a rep for Markle clarified that the former actress was never scheduled to attend the entirety of the retreat.
“Meghan was always confirmed only to attend the retreat for her Q&A portion of the weekend,” Markle’s rep told Page Six in a statement. “She had a lovely time sitting down and talking to Gemma in front of such an engaging audience.”
The official Her Best Life website referred to Markle as a “special guest” in a promo for the retreat and only advertised a Q&A.
“Join us for an intimate luxury weekend by the ocean designed to bring women together for powerful conversations, relaxation, laughter and unforgettable experiences,” it read. “The highlight of the weekend will be an in-person conversation with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.”
They were always going to be mad about something, and it’s hilarious that they were ranting and carrying on for WEEKS about this and it turned out that Meghan was basically just paid to do a friendly Q&A session and take photos with people who knew exactly what they were getting. Only the tabloids and haters genuinely believed that Meghan would be doing hot-yoga and tea-parties all weekend.
Incidentally, it’s amazing that Harry showed up as well – some suggested that Harry decided to come because there was so much dark energy devoted to Meghan’s appearance. That’s possible, but it’s also possible he just wanted a meal and he likes to support his wife. I saw some stuff on social media where all of the ladies were absolutely thrilled to see Harry too, and I’m sure some of those ladies got photos with him.
“An evening I’ll never forget
”
“It was such an honour to meet and hear from Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Who shared such a powerful and meaningful experience. A beautiful reminder of the impact kindness, strength, and authenticity can have” –
Meghan Towner#HarryandMeghan
pic.twitter.com/Vs1Q6qUUti
— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) April 19, 2026
Photos courtesy of Her Best Life’s Instagram. This post contains affiliate links.