Meghan Markle Faces Backlash Over $2,699 Retreat, $330 Selfie Fee, Leaves in Two Hours

Meghan Markle’s “Her Best Life” has been hit with even more backlash after it was revealed that attendees will have to pay extra if they want to snap a selfie with the Duchess of Sussex. To make matters worse, Markle reportedly left after only two hours to attend a Super Rugby match at Allianz Stadium with her husband, despite fans spending thousands of dollars to spend time with her, Sky News Australia reports. ​

The wellness retreat garnered much controversy since the very beginning. There were speculations surrounding how Australians would react to the couple after reports emerged that some people were passing down a petition, demanding the trip be cancelled.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Australia gatherings suffered similar embarrassing setbacks, according to media reports. After several news outlets reported that Harry’s event management had to introduce alternate, cheaper tickets just to fill the venue, reports suggested that Markle’s retreat, hosted by Her Best Life podcast, had 300 tickets available till the very last moment.

Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio further revealed that to save face, organizers even contacted attendees and offered them the opportunity to bring a friend.

The standard tickets for Markle’s retreat were priced at $2,699 each and attendees had to share a room with a stranger. They were offered yoga, sound healing, meditation, a psychologist-led session, and a disco evening. They also got to have a personal conversation with Markle at a gala dinner. The attendees who were looking to splurge a little extra got to take a group table photo with Markle and a hotel room to themselves for $3199.

Just days before the retreat, organizers pinged the standard guests with a rather unusual offer. They were offered the opportunity to upgrade their tickets for an additional $330 so they could snap a group pic with Meghan, as reported by HELLO!

​This announcement triggered massive backlash on social media. Guests were furious that they were asked to pay extra for a selfie when passersby got to take photos with the couple for free.

One X user pointed out, “Australians have been taken for a ride by the grifters. Not only has she commercialised the clothing she wore at a massacre site online, but now she is charging thousands of pounds for a selfie ? Are Australians really that dumb and ignorant!”

Another user commented, “The markle grift is almost impossible to believe. If she charges extra for a photo op I wonder if she has looked into sending greetings to fans to wish them happy birthdays, etc. I believe this is quite lucrative for minor celebs!”

​Another critical comment read, “Meg will go down in history as the woman who took the monarchy down because now people are saying just end the entire institution. It’s a cheap circus show now!”

A fourth user chimed in, saying, “No wonder it didn’t sell out, but the grift continues!”

Another comment read, “She does nothing for free. It was obviously for financial gain. And Australians haven't forgotten how she bad-mouthed us in 2018 after her first visit. Actions have consequences,” referring to the Duke and Duchess’s first visit to the country as newlyweds.​