The Duchess of Sussex has explained the reasoning behind her controversial decision to partner with a global fashion marketplace, where she is paid a percentage from sales, suggesting it is about the ‘correct designer’ being credited.
In a new interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly following her quasi-royal tour of Down Under, Meghan, 44, told how ‘fashion is one of the most powerful industries’.
She added: ‘Even if you don’t say a word, you can convey something in what you wear. Over the last several years, I would hear about an incorrect designer getting credit for something I wore, either via affiliate links or press, and that never seemed fair.
‘Credit where credit is due. These brands and designers work so hard and take great pride in their work, and I choose them for a reason.
‘Either supporting a friend, being brand loyal… So it’s always been important to me that the correct designer is credited.’
Following Meghan’s remarks, the publication explained how the Duchess has partnered with the OneOff website – described as the ‘Spotify of fashion’ – where Prince Harry’s wife will take a percentage of any sales.
All Meghan’s ensembles from her four-day tour were uploaded to the site, of which she became a participant and investor in, including the outfit she wore when she met survivors of the Bondi terror attack.
The Duchess was criticised after her $2,000 (£1,478) ‘look’ when she met survivors of the massacre was first posted on the website.
Meghan hugs Jessica Chapnil Khan, a survivor of the 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack
The Daily Mail revealed how shortly after she hugged witnesses to the tragedy, the clothes she wore to the Sydney beach where 15 people died, were immediately posted on the fashion platform.
Prince Harry also featured on the OneOff page advertising his wife’s outfit at Bondi, although he was largely covered by links to her $440 blue and white striped Matteau shirt, $139 white ‘sailor jeans’ and $298 Freda Salvador trainers.
Meghan’s $198 Brochu Walker sunglasses and $950 brown suede bag from her Bondi engagement were also being advertised – taking the cost of the entire outfit to around $2,000.
But the original contentious OneOff page inviting fans of Meghan’s fashion to buy her expensive Bondi ensemble was then quietly deleted.
It was replaced with a picture of the Duchess waving as she left her luxury Range Rover 4×4 earlier in the day, in the same outfit but not on the beach and without Harry in shot.
Meghan is expected to earn a portion of OneOff’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 per cent to 25 per cent per item sold. She is also an investor in the AI-powered fashion business.
It came as a Bondi beach-goer was praised after footage of the Sussexes on the sand captured her refusing to move when her sunbathing session was interrupted by Harry and Meghan.
And an exclusive poll for The Mail on Sunday revealed how an overwhelming four-to-one majority of Britons are opposed to the Sussexes using their titles for commercial gain.
Meghan on Bondi Beach. Her outfit was immediately added to a website where she makes a percentage from sales. It was quietly deleted
The new advert shows Meghan without first responders – and without Harry
The Duchess had looked deeply moved as she listened to stories from those who witnessed the horrific antisemitic massacre in December that claimed 15 lives.
Meghan also embraced Jessica Chapnik Kahn, who survived while shielding her five-year-old daughter after attending a Hanukkah party. She and Harry also spoke to first responders to the Bondi terrorist attack, including lifeguards on the beach.
Critics said that the decision to advertise the duchess’s ‘look’ on a visit to meet terror attack survivors is ‘the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand’.
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Royal expert Richard Palmer said the sale of her Bondi outfit online reflected badly on the Sussexes.
He said: ‘This is perhaps the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand.
‘I think this will have alarm bells ringing at the palace and may ultimately prompt further discussion about whether there is a need to strip them of their royal titles, now the King has shown it can be done in effect with Andrew.
‘The palace can say it’s nothing to do with the institution because Harry and Meghan aren’t publicly-funded members of it – but they are the King’s son and daughter-in-law and any suggestion of cashing in on royal status reflects badly on the monarchy.’
Billed as ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’, her OneOff page features dozens of pictures of her, including in Australia this week, all with links to buy her outfits.
OneOff is an AI-powered fashion platform and app that allows users to shop ‘curated’, celebrity-inspired looks.
Stars who are verified, such as Meghan, can earn affiliate revenue every time a fan purchases an item.
The current revenue split on a sale is, apparently, 10 to 25 per cent from the retailer to OneOff, which is then shared with the creator.
It is not clear how much the duchess expects to make, but the firm said of its deal with Meghan: ‘She cares about fashion and was motivated to invest not only to expand her portfolio, but to help uplift the fashion designers she is a fan of.’
