Remember the royal bombshell of 2020?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry upended tradition and stunned the world by announcing they would ‘step back’ as senior royals and start afresh abroad.
Instead of royal duties, the Sussexes set their sights on a future full of, er, other opportunities and soon confirmed they would be relocating to Meghan’s old stomping ground of Los Angeles.
So, where would the royals land in LA?
Enter Hollywood power player Tyler Perry, who handed Meghan and Harry the keys to his US$18 million mansion – no questions asked, no strings attached.
Yes, they were literally handed a mansion on day one – until they found their own, at least. Few would turn down rent-free luxury.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a world of possibilities at their feet in 2020 when they made the surprise move to ‘step back’ as senior royals and relocate abroad. They’re pictured here in March 2020 during a brief return to the UK to attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey
When the Sussexes arrived in Southern California, Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry offered up a lavish US$18 million mansion (pictured) for the pair to live in
It was just the beginning of the Hollywood red carpet treatment for the newly arrived royals – and everyone wanted in.
The media deals poured in fast.
Netflix led the charge with a jaw-dropping US$100million, five-year multi-program agreement.
Then Spotify jumped in with a rumoured US$30million partnership. Penguin Random House threw in a reported US$35million book deal.
Suddenly, every celebrity and major outlet wanted a slice of the Sussex brand.
But we all know how that played out.
Spotify pulled the plug in 2023 – an executive infamously calling the royals ‘grifters’ on their way out. Ouch.
The success of Harry’s tell-all book Spare is without question. But we’re yet to hear about any subsequent tomes in what was said to be a multi-book deal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received a warm Hollywood welcome upon their arrival in 2020, and a flurry of lucrative media deals soon followed. They are shown here in NYC in April
And then there’s Netflix, which ended up creating five shows of varying success in partnership with the couple’s company, Archewell Productions: Harry & Meghan, Polo, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead and recent lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan.
Then this week came a surprise development.
Just weeks out from the season two premiere of With Love, Meghan, the Sussexes declared they had reached a new agreement with Netflix.
Sort of…
The couple have a new ‘multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects’ with the streaming giant. It basically means Netflix can have a look and see what Meg and Harry have in the works, then decide whether they want to pay for it. No promises…
TV and royal pundits were quick to describe it as a ‘downgrade’ deal that was a far cry from their previous blockbuster offer.
But wait, there’s more.
When Meghan celebrated her 44th birthday on August 8, royal watchers noted a marked drop in birthday wishes from the Hollywood glitterati.
(And less surprisingly, yet another year of online silence from the Instagram accounts of the British Royal Family and the Prince and Princess of Wales…)
Meghan Markle, pictured here in her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, has repositioned herself in the celebrity lifestyle space with her show and tie-in brand, As Ever
Back in 2021, Beyoncé was among those who sent the Suits star a birthday greeting online, but there was no such message this year.
According to reports, Meghan’s ‘low key’ birthday celebration in 2025 did not include high-profile pals like Oprah, Serena Williams or even her former landlord Tyler Perry.
It comes as Meghan is trying to rebrand her public image, adopting the role of a celebrity lifestyle entrepreneur – a path trodden by the likes of Martha Stewart, Gwyneth Paltrow and – more recently – Kourtney Kardashian. (More on her shortly.)
On the back of the Netflix series came the launch of her tie-in lifestyle brand As Ever, offering Meghan-approved wares like jams, teas and wine.
You’d think Meghan’s Hollywood connections would mean plenty of publicity for her preserves. And there has been some, but it’s been… muted.
The clearest example came just last week when an artfully arranged As Ever gift basket was delivered to a member of Hollywood’s royal family.
I’m talking, of course, about the Kardashians.
Khloé – the third eldest daughter of Kris Jenner – posted an Instagram story that featured a basket of As Ever goodies. It was included among a batch of pictures shared around the time of her half-sister Kylie Jenner’s birthday party.
Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever recently launched a new wine, the 2024 Napa Valley Rosé
The picture showcased the rustic hamper filled with a variety of fresh vegetables. Nestled in amongst the produce were two bottles of the newly released As Ever rosé and a jar of honey.
The highly Instagram-worthy delivery was posted to Khloé’s 302 million followers. A coup for Meghan, you would think.
Except for one small detail.
Khloé’s Instagram story didn’t include any kind of caption, tag or explanation that the hamper had royal origins.
Not even a tiny ‘@’ mention of @meghan.
Undeterred, the burgeoning lifestyle brand entrepreneur made sure the link between herself and the Kardashians was unmistakable by reposting Khloé’s story to her own account, then simply added the caption herself. Voila!
Meghan drew a heart over the top and added the (very cringe) commentary: ‘hey hey all my girls with a K’.
Khloé Kardashian posted an Instagram of the gift hamper, which included bottles of wine, honey and vegetables – but omitted tagging Meghan. Nevertheless, Meghan reposted the snap with the added message written in a love heart: ‘Hey hey, all my girls with a K’
Khloé Kardashian (right) shared the gift hamper picture amongst a run of photos celebrating sister Kylie Jenner’s (left) recent birthday
The Duchess of Sussex also threw in three white love hearts and a kiss emoji.
The response? Crickets.
As Daily Mail previously reported, fans instantly spotted the Kardashians’ lack of specific acknowledgment of the As Ever basket.
One wrote: ‘When you send something over cuz you have to miss the party, except Meghan was never invited to the party.’
Another wrote: ‘What were the Kardashians going to do with this catastrophe?’
‘My girls with a K? Is she 9? The Kardashians would probably hate it,’ read another.
‘And yet, Khloe doesn’t even follow Meghan’s personal or As Ever Instagram accounts…. But Khloe does follow Martha Stewart,’ noted another.
There was even some speculation among Kardashian fans that Meghan may have paid for the social media shout-out.
Kardashian fans took notice of the lack of acknowledgement or tag of Meghan or her As Ever brand in Khloe Kardashian’s social media story – or even in response to Meghan’s re-share
A few days after Khloé’s post, Kris Jenner shared her own snap of an As Ever wine delivery – but clearly tagged both Meghan and her lifestyle brand As Ever in the Instagram story
‘In my opinion, it’s a paid advertising. Nothing is an accident with Kardashians,’ claimed one response.
Another commenter speculated: ‘I just watched a video where Kris said they post no products unless they are getting paid for it. The pay is over six figures per post.’
A few days later, family matriarch Kris Jenner appeared to mend fences with Meghan, posting an Instagram story of her own delivery – a wooden crate containing three bottles of As Ever Napa Valley 2024 Rosé.
This time, the @meghan tag was clearly included.
Perhaps the missing ‘@’ mention was a simple oversight. (Momager to the rescue!)
But even if it was done in error, it’s indicative perhaps of a bigger issue.
There was a time not so long ago when people were falling over their chequebooks to be associated with Team Sussex.
Now, more often, it feels like an invitation that’s missed – or quietly left unanswered.
Is it all downhill from here? The Kardashians are social media pros – they tag who matters, when it matters. In this world, a missing ‘@’ speaks volumes.