Meghan Markle is getting brutally mocked after the “gala” setup for her high-priced Australian wellness retreat was revealed — and critics say the so-called luxury event looks more like a forgettable hotel seminar than an elite evening fit for a duchess.
The first look at the event space, shared by retreat organizer Gemma O’Neill, quickly set off a wave of ridicule online after fans saw what appeared to be a plain, windowless hotel conference room dressed up as the setting for a glamorous dinner with the Duchess of Sussex.
For many royal watchers, the reveal was a stunning contrast to the glittering state banquets and red-carpet appearances Meghan once attended as a working member of the royal family. Instead of chandeliers, grand ballrooms, and palace polish, the setup featured beige carpeting, beige chairs, round banquet tables, and a modest black stage with just two white chairs and a tiny table in between.
O’Neill tried to sell the room’s smaller size as part of the appeal, describing it as “intimate” while previewing the event space. She said the atmosphere would feel more personal for the roughly 300 guests expected to attend and noted that women from across Australia were traveling in for the retreat, including groups of friends and solo attendees hoping to meet new people.
Still, online critics were not impressed.
Once video of the room began making the rounds on social media, royal fans pounced. Some mocked Meghan’s dramatic fall from royal grandeur, with one person sneering that she had gone “from royal banquets to a lowly hotel conference room.” Another compared the vibe to “the dining room of an assisted living facility,” while others said it looked more like a low-budget real estate conference than a glamorous gala.
One critic joked that their office meetings had a better setup, while another claimed the room felt “stuffy and claustrophobic.” The reaction was swift and merciless, with many zeroing in on the mismatch between the event’s luxury branding and the underwhelming room itself.
The backlash only grew once ticket prices were factored in.
Guests seated farther back in the room reportedly paid about $1,930, while VIP attendees shelled out roughly $2,288 for spots closer to the stage. Those premium tickets also came with a group photo at the table with Meghan — but notably, not a private one-on-one photo.
That detail also raised eyebrows, especially after it emerged that not everyone could simply buy their way in. According to one attendee, hopeful guests were required to explain why they wanted to attend, with some then being “selected” and allowed to bring a friend.
The event’s promotional materials repeatedly referred to Meghan by her royal title, “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,” while advertising the gala dinner and photo opportunity, a move that is almost certain to irritate her critics even more.
For Meghan’s detractors, the entire setup has become fresh ammunition in the never-ending debate over her post-royal image. What was pitched as an exclusive, upscale wellness experience is now being trashed online as beige, bland, and wildly overpriced.
And for a woman once surrounded by royal spectacle, the sight of a small hotel conference room being used for a “gala” has critics saying the downgrade could not be more glaring.
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