Guests who paid thousands to attend Meghan Markle’s Her Best Life retreat in Sydney over the weekend may have been treated to Champagne, selfies with the duchess and plush hotel rooms – but the budget gift bags they left with have raised a few eyebrows.
Far from a haul of ultra-premium beauty products, attendees were instead handed a mix of affordable wellness and supermarket-adjacent items that wouldn’t look out of place in a weekly shop.
Included in a branded canvas bag was a small $15 can of Meghan’s famous As Ever edible flowers, alongside a Tri-Peptide Lip Butter Glaze which sells at Coles for $18.
There were also $21 Hunter lavender-scented candles, which sit firmly in the mid-range wellness category.
Meanwhile, a Love Tea gift box set, valued at $39, added a more premium feel.
A bag of Funday sweets, which retail for $4.50 and are available at most supermarkets and chemists, were also thrown in.
Guests who paid over $3,000 to attend Meghan Markle’s Her Best Life retreat in Sydney over the weekend may have been treated to Champagne, selfies with the duchess and plush hotel rooms – but the budget gift bags they left with have raised a few eyebrows
Far from a haul of ultra-premium beauty products, attendees were instead handed a mix of affordable wellness and supermarket-adjacent items that wouldn’t look out of place in a weekly shop
Included in the bag was Tri-Peptide Lip Butter Glaze which sells at Coles for $18
The total value of the gift bag was just under $200.
Tickets for the retreat cost $2,699 for standard entry or up to $3,199 for VIP premium packages which offered more direct access to Meghan.
On Friday night, Meghan spent just two hours with female fans who paid to ask her questions and pose for pictures at a money-spinning ‘ultimate girls’ weekend where she bemoaned her ‘very hard’ life.
After 120 minutes at the gala dubbed ‘Megstock’ due to its guest of honour, Meghan departed the InterContinental Coogee with her husband shortly after 7pm, in the back of a luxury Range Rover.
Excited paying guests had started turning up at the five-star beachside hotel in Sydney’s eastern suburbs from 3pm due to the strict security arrangements, with the official event kicking off at 5pm.
On stage at the gala dinner, where paying guests ate kingfish, beef tenderloin and coconut crumble, Meghan bemoaned her ‘very hard’ life in the public eye, claiming she has been ‘attacked’ ever since marrying Prince Harry.
She said she had enjoyed ‘amazing moments’ since meeting the British royal, including getting married and having two children, but insisted she had also ‘endured’ constant attacks for a decade.
Before she began speaking, Prince Harry, who was one of the few men in the audience, reportedly gave his wife a standing ovation as she arrived in the room.
There were also $21 Hunter lavender-scented candles, which sit firmly in the mid-range wellness category
Included in the branded canvas bag was a small $15 can of Meghan’s famous As Ever edible flowers and a Love Tea gift box set, valued at $39
He apparently gave her a kiss and then helped her on to a stage that looked remarkably like an Oprah-style US TV set. Harry then sat and watched in the front row.
Meghan, who enjoyed vocal support from the audience, said Archie and Lilibet are her ‘inspiration’ and said criticisms of her were based on ‘projections.’
Meghan admitted that becoming a parent had taught her patience, adding this skill was something important ‘given what our life is like.’
The Sydney Daily Telegraph managed to get a reporter inside and wrote a piece entitled: ‘Meghan Markle bemoans public life at exclusive Sydney retreat with $2600 tickets.’
People at the event, who had already been asked to have a bag search and body scan to enter, were told there was a ‘no recording policy for the duration of her interview’, calling it a ‘non-negotiable security requirement’.
But attendees had also paid an extra $500 for the ‘VIP experience’, which included a picture with Meghan at the event organised by broadcaster Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Gemma O’Neill’s Besties company.
Participants at the women’s retreat were left to enjoy an evening without the duchess, and spent the remaining weekend relaxing at the hotel where they lounged by the pool, did yoga, meditated, did ‘sound healing’ and listened to inspirational guest speakers.
After leaving the gala on Friday evening, the Sussexes made their way to a match between the NSW Waratahs and Moana Pasifik,
A bag of Funday sweets, which retail for $4.50 and available at most supermarkets and chemists, were also thrown in
Meanwhile, at the weekend event, Jackie ‘O’ Henderson was back in the limelight after stepping out amid the collapse of the Kyle and Jackie O Show.
The former radio queen took the stage on Saturday at the retreat where Meghan was the keynote speaker the night before.
The 51-year-old appeared in good spirits as she took the stage in what was a ‘supporting’ role at the retreat.
An Instagram post on the Her Best Life podcast page showed Henderson introducing another speaker, Dr Justine Corry.
‘Jackie coming down to support Gemma and introduce the incredible @drjustinecorry ahead of her powerful session this morning!’ the caption read.
Henderson was not pictured alongside Meghan, who spoke to O’Neill on stage during her appearance.
It follows claims Henderson was ‘banned’ from her keynote appearance at the Her Best Life Retreat.
A source told Woman’s Day that Henderson was allegedly 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.
