The highly publicised three-day retreat Meghan Markle is set to headline in Sydney has failed to sell out – over a month after the women-only event was first announced.??
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently embarking on a four-day quasi-royal tour Down Under that some have suggested is a ‘money-making’ exercise in ‘self promotion’.??
One of the highlights of their trip is a ‘fireside chat’ with the Duchess at the ??1,400-per-head Her Best Life retreat organised by Australian radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her manager Gemma O’Neill.??
While the wellbeing event is capped at an ‘intimate’ 300 guests, the retreat has failed to sell out despite organisers claiming the ticket allocation was ‘exhausted’ on March 23.??
On April 6, 2026, the Her Best Life website was updated to announce that a ‘handful of additional rooms’ had just been released. The ‘standard experience’ includes access to Meghan’s speech and all other activities, as well as a ‘twin-share’ hotel room. VIP ticket holders have solo rooms, with a total cost of ??1,700 ($3,199).??
Three days before the retreat begins, a post on Her Best Life podcast’s Instagram account announced a ‘final last-minute availability’ of tickets for three solo rooms and two double rooms at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel at Coogee Beach.??
The caption read: ‘Guest list now closing – final availability due to movement. See you ladies this weekend!! Can’t wait!’
Days before reopening ticket sales, Gemma gushed she had ‘just gotten off the phone with Meghan’??after a ‘real’ conversation, while describing the Duchess as ‘divine’.??
She said Meghan was looking forward to ‘real woman-to-woman chats’ during a ‘strict no phones’ gala dinner on Friday, April 17.??
A leaked itinerary, obtained by the Daily Mail, states that attendees must undergo rigorous security clearance before the ‘inspiring live conversation’ during which the use of phones is strictly prohibited.??
The opening section of the itinerary reads:??’Much like our previous events, and in keeping with our usual policy, this is a strict no phones, no recording moment for the duration of the interview.
‘We promise it’s worth it – this is about being fully present, soaking it all in, and it’s also a non-negotiable security requirement. Phones away, eyes up, and enjoy the magic!’
Guests who purchased a Standard ticket will be given time at the end to ‘capture a photo of Gemma with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on stage’, according to the itinerary.??
However, it’s a different case for ticket-holders who have splashed out ??1,700 on the VIP tier and are assured of ‘VIP Group Photos with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’.??
Details of this photo op ‘will be communicated to our registered VIP guests upon check-in’, the itinerary for the event reads.????
The agenda includes highlights such as morning yoga classes, panel speaker events with inspiring women, free time to enjoy the pool and beach, shared meals, and even a high-energy disco party on Saturday night – ‘because your best life deserves a proper dance floor moment’.
The retreat is expected to bring in nearly $1million in ticket revenue, the Daily Mail reported, after the Sussexes were accused of using Australia ‘like an ATM’ on a quasi-royal tour that some insist is all about ‘making money’ and ‘self-promotion’.
Prince Harry and Meghan said they were delighted to be in the country as they landed in Melbourne today on a business class flight from Los Angeles without their children, Archie and Lilibet.
The couple’s itinerary will include charity and business events in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. It is not known how much Prince Harry and Meghan are being paid for their commercial events – including the Her Best Life retreat.??
The event, dubbed ‘Meg-stock’, has been somewhat eclipsed by controversy.??
Shortly after Her Best Life confirmed that Meghan will headline the inaugural retreat, it was reported that Gemma’s talent agency had gone bust amid unpaid debts of over half a million dollars, mainly owed to the taxman.??
She says she cannot pay her debts due to a lack of savings and her ‘limited income’.
Administrators were said to have been appointed after O’Neill’s talent management business, Gemmie Agency, went into voluntary liquidation in November.??
The firm owes $543,548 to the Australian Taxation Office, with another $3,300 owed to small business Jack Lawrence Accountants and Advisors, reports news.com.au.
On February 20, Gemma reportedly informed administrators from Grant Thornton Australia that she couldn’t make any repayment contributions, noting she has no available personal savings, limited income, and had failed to refinance her beachside apartment in Sydney.
In the February 4 episode of the Her Best Life podcast, Jackie revealed Gemma had purchased a country-style cottage ‘down south’ in 2025.
There have also been growing security concerns about the private event after online trolls revealed they planned to infiltrate and ‘secretly record’ Meghan’s interview.??
One wrote, ‘Just in case if Meghan Markle didn’t despise me enough she’s about to HATE ME even more.
‘I hatched a plan with a friend who lives in Sydney to attend the best life weekend, they have been accepted & has a spot secured.
‘Good luck figuring out who it is, Meghan’.
Hinting that they plan to ‘secretly record’, the user added, ‘There are button cameras, meta glasses, we got all the bases covered.
‘Now that they’ve been accepted. Let the games begin!!!’
Earlier today, it was also reported that former radio queen Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, one of the event organisers, has been ‘banned’ from Meghan’s keynote appearance.??
A source told Woman’s Day that 51-year-old radio star has allegedly been asked not to step on stage at the event, due to a surprising demand from Meghan.
The source claimed that Meghan did not want the high-profile broadcaster stealing her thunder during her Down Under visit.
‘Everything hinges on this tour,’ the source said.
‘It’s make or break and Meghan wants to steer clear of anything that could overshadow her mission.’
During the visit, Harry is expected to speak at the??InterEdge Summit in Melbourne on Thursday, where tickets range from ??525 to ??1,250 with a ‘virtual ticket’ for Harry’s speech costing ??260 alone.
The couple insist their 2026 trip is ‘privately-funded’ but there is some disquiet because Australian taxpayers are due to foot the bill for some police security. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition demanding the Sussexes cover all the costs themselves.
One critic accused them of treating Australia ‘like an ATM’ because the country had been ‘good to them’ when they were working royals.
Harry and Meghan’s last visit to Australia was almost a decade ago, as newlyweds.
The 2026 tour is underway with trips to a children’s hospital to meet cancer patients before Meghan served frittata at a women’s refuge.
A group of about 70 staff, parents and young patients waited in the hospital atrium for the couple, who excitedly met the crowd and then visited the Adolescent Oncology and Rehabilitation ward before taking part in a garden therapy session.
In a series of royal-style events, Meghan then went on a solo visit to a nearby homeless and domestic violence shelter where she served food to residents.
The couple’s itinerary will include charity and business events in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney – but there will be no walkabouts to meet the public.????
As they landed in the city, Melburnian Andrew Bridge said today that the couple’s trip Down Under was clearly about ‘self-promotion’.
The Sydney Morning Herald said yesterday: ‘Australia was good to Harry and Meghan. Now they want to use us as an ATM.’
