People's princess or royal flop? No matter what you think of Meghan Markle, one thing's for sure — these attempts to connect with her fans couldn't have gone much worse.
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00:00People's princess, or royal flop.
00:03No matter what you think of Meghan Markle, one thing's for sure, these attempts to connect
00:06with her fans couldn't have gone much worse.
00:09A few years after stepping away from the royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry teamed
00:13up with Netflix to tell their side of the story.
00:16My dad said to me,
00:17"'Darling boy, you can't take on the media.
00:20The media will always be the media,' and I said I fundamentally disagree."
00:23In the 2022 multi-episode docu-series Harry and Meghan, the couple get candid about their
00:27high-profile marriage and eventual exit from the royal scene.
00:30But what was supposed to be a happy end to a rocky road was taken by many as a desperate
00:35attempt to garner sympathy.
00:36You talk about a plot twist."
00:38The documentary currently holds a 45 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal
00:4419 percent audience rating.
00:45One audience review reads,
00:47"...possibly one of the most cringe things to ever be made.
00:50Meghan is a true narcissist."
00:52And another says,
00:53"...a very spoiled, entitled, and slightly dim couple on a whinge-a-thon, six hours of
00:58hot air."
00:59While some viewers offered more positive reviews, many seemed to believe that they'd watch nothing
01:03more than two rich people complaining about a very niche problem.
01:06As TV critic Darren Frannick told Entertainment Weekly,
01:09"...the mere existence of Harry and Meghan complicates their escape into a brand-building
01:14exercise.
01:15They left a 19th-century monarchy to join the 21st-century oligarchy, taking Apple and
01:19Netflix paychecks, self-monetizing to pay property taxes in an enclave for celebrities
01:24too rich for Malibu."
01:26Harry and Meghan didn't exactly learn their lesson after their Netflix docuseries flopped.
01:30They returned to the streaming platform in 2024, this time for Polo, a documentary about,
01:36well, Polo.
01:37One promo, posted on X, offered up a brief glimpse of the new series, and got just the
01:42kind of reaction you might expect.
01:44One user commented,
01:45"...it looks ridiculously out of touch, shallow and cringey."
01:49Soon after, an insider told InTouch that Meghan and Harry were, "...frustrated that Polo didn't
01:53generate much enthusiasm."
01:55The source said,
01:56"...Fact is, Harry and Meghan were paid an exorbitant amount of money by Netflix and
02:00have little to show for it."
02:02Polo did so poorly, in fact, that rumors soon emerged that Meghan's Netflix hospitality
02:06show With Love Meghan had been canceled as a result.
02:09And while that show's first season remains on track for release in 2025, whether it ever
02:14gets a follow-up remains to be seen.
02:17Kicking off 2025, Meghan returned to Instagram and, sure enough, she was met with a whole
02:22heap of criticism.
02:23Her first post under the profile Meghan was this.
02:35While comments were turned off under the post, Meghan's critics wasted no time in voicing
02:39their opinions over on X.
02:41One user, who highlighted an apparent earlier attempt to write 2025 in the sand, wrote,
02:46"...I guess the first time wasn't the charm."
02:49Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that launching her social media
02:53at the beginning of the year was a sign that Meghan was trying to take control of her image.
02:57He added,
02:58"...Meghan's intention in the video is to look relaxed, confident, and, above all, symbolize
03:02the freedom they claim they have found."
03:04Sadly, it didn't seem to work out that way.
03:06Another X user said,
03:07"...Everything was so staged and phony with her.
03:10Is there a genuine bone in her body?"
03:12After a series of massive wildfires tore through Los Angeles in January 2025, Meghan and Harry
03:18left their home in Montecito to support victims who had lost their homes.
03:21"...So I just had to get out of my car and start walking, the smoke is so bad, I have
03:26no idea where we're going."
03:27When cameras captured the pair hugging some of the victims, the internet took it as a
03:31sign that this was no ordinary charitable mission, but an opportunity to rescue their
03:35public image.
03:36Actor Justine Bateman called out the couple on X, writing,
03:39"...Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers.
03:42What a repulsive photo-op they achieved.
03:44They are touring the damage?
03:46Are they politicians now?
03:47They don't live here.
03:48They are tourists.
03:49Disaster tourists."
03:51Replying to Bateman, one X user wrote,
03:53"...They are grief grifters.
03:54Despicable duo."
03:56According to sources who spoke to Radar Online, Meghan and Harry were shocked at the backlash
04:00they received.
04:01As an L.A. native, the fires had apparently been especially upsetting for Meghan.
04:05One source said,
04:06"...This reinforces their belief that they can't please everyone.
04:09Their detractors will always find a way to pull them down, regardless of their intentions."
04:14The wildfire incident wasn't the first time Meghan had been accused of using her philanthropy
04:18to save face, either.
04:19A drama unfolded in late 2024 surrounding Meghan's investment in a handbag company allegedly
04:25linked to the exploitation of Rwandan weavers.
04:28Meghan was also accused of attending the 2024 Los Angeles Children's Hospital Gala solely
04:33for publicity.
04:34Lizzie Cundy, a British socialite in attendance, told the Daily Mail,
04:37"...There wasn't a great deal of warmth from people when she arrived.
04:40She wasn't there long.
04:41She seemed to be there for the photographs."
04:43Another event attracted a ton of criticism despite the cause in question being close
04:47to Meghan's heart.
04:48In November 2024, Marie Claire published an exclusive interview with Meghan about a holiday
04:53dinner she'd hosted for Afghan refugee women who found new beginnings in the United States.
04:58The dinner was in collaboration with Mina's List and the Archwell Foundation's Welcome
05:02Project.
05:03According to the public, this charitable gesture seemed to be yet another PR stunt.
05:07A Reddit thread commenting on Marie Claire's article couldn't help but point out some of
05:11the hypocrisy of what was written about the night.
05:13One user wrote,
05:14"...Naturally, we hear more about her than highlighting the strengths of the project
05:18and the people involved."
05:19Others noted how the dinner, which was meant to celebrate Afghan heritage, had been timed
05:23poorly, as one user wrote,
05:25"...Wouldn't iftar during Ramadan have been more meaningful for Afghan women and more
05:29about them than her?"