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After years of whispers that there was a lot going on behind the scenes, 2025 was when we finally got to see what the Duchess of Sussex has been doing with her post-royal life.
Meghan Markle started the year off with a bang on January 1, making her long-awaited personal return to Instagram and announcing the first season of her Netflix lifestyle show.
And it will culminate on December 3 with her holiday special premiering on the streamer.
In between, she has done everything from launching her As Ever company to filming scenes in Lily Collins’ upcoming movie Close Personal Friends.
But just like everything Meghan, 44, does, people have either thought her jam was the best thing since the invention of sliced bread or they’ve slammed her for being overexposed, opportunistic and trying too hard to reinvent herself.
“I think the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity,” Meghan told US Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
Why does Meghan Markle get accused of being inauthentic?
It is an interesting choice of words, as her genuineness – or lack thereof – is a cause for endless debate online.
But according to small business marketing expert and campaign strategist Mia Fileman, the Duchess is being authentic; it’s just that her life is so far removed from regular people that we find it hard to relate.
“I heard Meghan on Emma Grede’s Aspire podcast and she said I never think about failing,” Fileman tells WHO. “Well, of course not, babe, because you’ve got a massive safety net, whereas most of us who start small businesses, there’s real risk of losing our homes.”
The University of Technology Sydney estimates that one in three small businesses will fail within their first year. That is unlikely to happen to Meghan, whose first drop of jam sold out in less than an hour.
“The hardest thing for any new business is getting people to know that they even exist and that is the thing she does most successfully,” Fileman explains. “I don’t envy her, though. People love her or love to hate her, but either way, they can’t look away.”
Did Meghan Markle fail with her business ventures?
As we edge closer to 2026, a third season of Meghan’s show is yet to be confirmed, her podcasts seem to have fallen flat and it’s to be determined how her acting return will be taken. So should we be asking ourselves why we put so much pressure on her to succeed?
“There’s no such thing as perfect. I, too, get to make mistakes,” the Duchess told Harper’s Bazaar. “There’s also not a lot of fun in trying to be perfect.”
Fileman agrees that, despite her polished veneer, Meghan isn’t going to pull off everything flawlessly, which is normal.
“Podcasting doesn’t seem to have worked out and Netflix has seen some potential for success with their consumer products division and her With Love, Meghan show,” she explains.
“But I think it’s completely normal that Meghan is trying out new things and trying to find her place and what works after royal life. It’s not unusual for entrepreneurs to try to pivot.”
Will Meghan Markle ever give up her title?
As she prepares for a new year, there are probably just two things that are certain for Meghan. Prince Harry, 41, will continue to be his wife’s biggest cheerleader, even joining her on the screen in her holiday episode, despite endless gossip about the state of their marriage.
“No-one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back,” Meghan said.
And despite criticisms she is profiting off her royal life and aristocratic connections, Meghan won’t be in a rush to drop her title anytime soon, after Harper’s Bazaar revealed she is formally announced by her official moniker whenever she enters a room.
“Would you buy the jam if she wasn’t the Duchess of Sussex?” Fileman asks. “That is the whole brand.”
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