As is tradition at this point, Meghan Markle is once again being singled out by publications for her actions.
The latest round began last Wednesday (November 19) after Harper’s Bazaar published a new cover story describing what happened when the interviewer arrived at a friend’s Upper East Side brownstone to meet her.
According to the piece, the house manager stepped forward and announced “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex” as if presenting her to a formal, royal audience, despite the fact that only the journalist was present.
Highlights
- Markle was criticized after Harper’s Bazaar described how she arrived to an interview with a formal announcement.
- The New York Post was particularly harsh, describing Markle as having risen to "comical levels of self-importance."
- The duchess's recent projects have allegedly failed to connect with audiences.
Reactions were varied, from netizens reacting in disbelief, to readers ridiculing Markle for what they perceived as a lack of self-awareness. The New York Post, in particular, went a step further, announcing that Markle had finally risen “to truly comic levels of self-importance.”
Meghan Markle was roasted by publications after an interview depicted the moment she was announced by her full title to an audience of a single journalist
Image credits: Harper’s BAZAAR
Titled “Meghan’s Moment,” Harper’s piece framed Markle as someone who is finally breaking free from the narratives of others, and is ready to face the next chapter of her life without their influence or pressure.
For many of her detractors, the Post included, it read like a carefully staged performance that immediately collapsed under its own weight.
Image credits: Harper’s BAZAAR
“We’re in a grand brownstone on the Upper East Side that belongs to one of Meghan’s friends. When I enter, the house manager announces, ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,’ even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house,” Harper’s piece read.
The formality struck some readers as theatrical. For the Post, it stood as proof positive of Markle’s inflated ego.
Others pointed out how throughout the interview, Markle’s tone appeared to carry with it the confidence of someone who believes her presence carries inherent significance.
“She has just been a failure and her moment has long passed,” a reader wrote.
Image credits: TrishWhitcomb
Image credits: Instagram/kimkardashian
Some, however, felt the Post leaned a bit too heavily into bashing Markle instead of simply reporting what happened. At the same time, readers of Harper's piece believe the fashion magazine had an agenda of its own.
“In all this big coverage, the articles take a lot of subtle and also obvious digs at her,” another said. “Are they all laughing at her?”
“I’m guessing they were trying to be subtle with the tone so that Meghan would allow it to print.”
Harper’s Bazaar presented Markle as a humanitarian and feminist figure, finally free of the narratives of others
Image credits: Getty/Samir Hussein
A thorough read of Harper’s piece, however, quickly dismantles the idea of the publication having a secret agenda against the Duchess, as it presents her through a positive lens.
The profile casts Markle as a humanitarian, feminist, and founder who is “meeting her moment,” but the material used to support that message will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has followed her public storytelling.
Image credits: Harper’s BAZAAR
The piece once again brings up the letter she wrote to Procter and Gamble as a child, when she challenged the language of a dish soap commercial and framed it as her first feminist victory.
It returns to her memories of growing up in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots, which she describes in vivid imagery, recalling ash in the air and streets on fire.
Image credits: JuliaUnleashed
Image credits: Getty/Michael Loccisano
It then revisits the period when she first began dating Prince Harry, characterizing her rise in public attention as a mix of fascination and “vitriol,” a framing she has repeated in multiple interviews.
“She was a working actress from a modest family, and he was a royal; she was biracial, and he was a symbol for an imaginary monoracial Britain,” the piece read.
Image credits: Getty/Max Mumby/Indigo
To strengthen that narrative, Harper’s included endorsements from people in her inner circle. Serena Williams speaks about her warmth. Oprah’s former producers praise her work ethic and say she understands her own voice better than anyone shaping her content.
The reception of Markle’s media ventures arguably clashed with her positive portrayal by the fashion magazine
Image credits: Netflix
The portrait painted by Harper’s stands in sharp contrast with the reality of Markle’s recent ventures. While the profile celebrates a woman entering a new era of creative purpose, the projects tied to that narrative have struggled to match the magazine’s optimism.
Image credits: Netflix
Her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, was filmed inside a rented mansion and centers on Markle sharing gardening, hosting, and cooking tips.
The show underperformed, failing to break into the platform’s Top 300 most-watched titles. Ranking at 383rd place as of July 2025.
Image credits: Harper’s BAZAAR
Her lifestyle brand, As Ever, launched with scented candles, preserves, and flower sprinkles, but became the subject of controversy after customers accused the brand of reselling inexpensive third-party products at significantly higher prices and in extremely limited quantities.
Archetypes, her first podcast on Spotify, ended after just one season, premiering in August 2022. In June 2023, the company announced it wouldn’t be renewed.
Her second podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, launched in April 2025 and, so far, has no second season planned.
"Mistake." Some netizens believe the Harper's Bazaar piece did Markle more harm than good
