Royal Family: Meghan Markle slammed as 'tacky' over latest venture which could rake in 'millions' as King Charles visit to Pope Francis hangs in the balance

by Arthur Parashar

Meghan Markle's 'extortionately priced' online wardrobe is set to be snubbed as it is beyond most of her fans' budgets, fashion experts told MailOnline today.

The Duchess of Sussex, who described her 'high-low' style approach to mixing designer and accessible fashion during her recent Netflix series, yesterday launched a new digital shop in her latest post-Royal Family venture.

Meghan, 43, promotes her 'ShopyMy' closet as a 'handpicked and curated collection of the things I love,' adding she has long been asked to share her wardrobe recommendations.

MailOnline has calculated that the 35 items she has promoted on her shop, which features a £1,072 dress, a £715 handbag and a £595 pair of sandals, comes to a staggering total of £10,071.

It led to one stylist warning today: 'Many of the items she has chosen are extortionately priced, and the same "look" can be purchased for far less money.'

Read more here:

A former Conservative MP has today accused Meghan of using Archie and Lilibet as 'clickbait' before promoting her new online shop

Anna Firth, who was the MP for Southend West from 2022 until last year, was interviewed on GB News about Meghan highlighting the products after sharing a photograph of her children.

She told the channel:

I think this is the most appalling story. She's used her children as clickbait, published a picture of her kids and an hour later... which she knows will drive huge traffic... and then an hour later she posts these pictures of this rebrand.

I mean we've got sandals here for £600. Honestly, You would get nicer, better ones from our Primark on Southend high street.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added:

The Sussexes know anything which involved Archie and Lilibet is news. They are obsessive about privacy except when it suits them. She is ruthless.

Diana Princess Of Wales and Prince Harry in 1995 at the VJ Day 50th anniversary

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been offered a new contract by Netflix to produce a documentary about Princess Diana's death in 1997, according to a new report.

The three-part show would air in 2027 to mark the 30th anniversary of her death in a tragic car crash in Paris.

A Los Angeles source told The Express: 'The idea is that it would be a solo project for Harry, who would be a co-executive producer as well as hosting and narrating the series.

'He is uniquely placed, not only to talk about the woman he knew as his mother, but also to examine her role as an enduring social and cultural icon still beloved by so many.'

The source added that although nothing had been agreed upon, the series is being talked about in a positive way, and Harry might see it as a stepping stone to building bridges with William and the rest of his family.

However, a source close to the Sussexes' partnership with Netflix told The Independent that the report is 'not true', but did not provide further comment.

The Duchess of Sussex, 43, is reportedly set to 'make millions' from the ShopMy link, which she launched yesterday via her Instagram account @meghan.

The links mean Meghan will be paid a commission for promoting clothes from other companies if her followers purchase an item through them.

The tool is one commonly used by influencers, who can make thousands on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok by wearing and promoting clothes - and providing a link for shoppers to get their own.

In a recent interview with People Magazine to promote her Netflix show, Meghan insisted she's 'not an influencer' and instead views herself as a 'female founder' and 'entrepreneur'.

She also recently launched her new podcast called Confessions Of A Female Founder and released a trailer for it on Tuesday morning.

But, speaking to FEMAIL, PR and branding expert Hayley Knight warned that her latest venture means it's 'difficult to deny' that the Duchess is increasingly adopting 'standard influencer behaviour'.

• Read the full story by our reporter Eleanor Dye here

Sir Stephen Fry has today been knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle for his services to mental health awareness, the environment and charity.

The 67-year-old comedian, actor and presenter said he felt 'startled and enchanted' after receiving the top gong in the New Years Honours List - insisting it came 'out of the blue'.

Here are some pictures from his investiture ceremony.

*this article is available only to Mail+ readers - to subscribe click here*

by Alison Boshoff for The Daily Mail

Future students of social media – and its power in the world of celebrity – will surely be writing dissertations on the extraordinary 31-second video of Gwyneth Paltrow making breakfast, as the moment the veneer of polite restraint collapsed between the Oscar-winning Hollywood actress and the Duchess of Sussex.

Make-up free, wearing pyjama shorts which showed off her endless legs, Paltrow – who launched her £200million business Goop, which started out as a weekly email newsletter, in 2008 – was a study of ease and poise as she prepared what she calls a ‘#boyfriendbreakfast’.

Posting it on Instagram on Saturday, she wrote: ‘My cleaner take on a classic breakfast: gluten-free buttermilk biscuits, not-so-perfectly cooked over-easy eggs, and crispy bacon.’

Gwynnie has been preparing the occasional ‘boyfriend breakfast’ for months now, but there were some details in this one which immediately sparked debate.

Read more here:

Meghan Markle's long-awaited podcast launch faced a technical hitch this morning after the teaser clip for Confessions of a Female Founder went live.

The trailer for the Duchess of Sussex's new podcast was released at 7.30am, with her promising 'girl talk' and advice on how to create 'billion-dollar businesses'.

But the trailer on Apple Podcasts - which was embedded within the People magazine article which announced the news - failed to play after it went live.

Instead, users saw an error message stating: 'This episode is temporarily unavailable. Try again later.' The problem was later fixed, and it can now be played.

Ironically, the preview was working fine from the start on Spotify – on which Meghan hosted her previous Archetypes podcast about female stereotypes in 2022.

That show ran for just one series, and was part of the previous £20million deal she and Prince Harry had with the streaming network, which ended the year after.

by Richard Eden

This may not go down well in Montecito! Prince Harry's cousins are to cock a snook at his wife by launching their own wine brand before she has done so herself.

It's thought the Duchess of Sussex plans to bring out a rosé wine as part of her As Ever range of goods.

However, the twin daughters of Earl Spencer, Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia, have stolen Meghan's thunder by announcing that their own tipple will be on sale shortly.

'There's something really special in the works that Eliza and I are launching this summer,' says Lady Amelia, niece of Princess Diana

'We've been working on a rosé brand called Lala V – it's a play on Eliza's childhood nickname Lala and the French word for life, vie. The brand aims to represent joie de vivre – a joyful exuberance for life. We can't wait to go on this journey together.'

Read more here:

King Charles with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Buckingham Palace

Workers across King Charles' royal residences face an incredibly busy weekend as they change the time on more than 1,600 clocks to mark the start of British Summer Time.

The assortment of regal clocks include 450 at Windsor Castle, 350 at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace in London, and 50 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Last year, a team of three horological conservators worked through the weekend to change the timepieces in the Royal Collection.

Musical clocks, astronomical clocks and more make up the collection and all will have their hours changed in time for when the clocks go forward by one hour.

The Royal Collection Trust said the timepieces are some of the finest and most historic items at the palaces.

The clocks go forward on the last Sunday of March, jumping from 1am to 2am.

The Duchess of Sussex rose to fame as Meghan Markle - but her latest social media venture, an online shop selling 'handpicked and curated collection of the things I love', appears to confirm that her initials are no longer 'MM'.

The former Suits actress, 43, has been the Duchess of Sussex since her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, but still widely known by her maiden name of Markle.

Seven years on, and it seems the name of the English region, which the couple visited together just once while living in the UK, has finally become the family's permanent surname.

The latest clue? Meghan's initials on the website address to her new retail window are listed as 'MS' not 'MM', with the full URL reading 'shopmy.us/ms'.

The former royal appeared to begin making people aware of how she'd now like to be referred to in her recent Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.

She told writer and comedian Mindy Kaling during one episode, in which the friends made a fruit platter and star-shaped sandwiches: 'It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now'.

US actor and chat show host Drew Barrymore also introduced the former royal on her show recently as 'Meghan Sussex'.

Amy Schumer is the latest Hollywood star to aim a dig at Meghan over her insistence that her surname is now Sussex.

The stand-up comedian is now the fifth Netflix star to criticise With Love, Meghan and its host.

Meghan, whose eight-part lifestyle series has been widely panned and branded 'out of touch', had raised eyebrows when she told off her friend Mindy Kaling for not calling her Meghan Sussex.

Trying to hide her frown with a smile, Meghan had said to The Office star: 'It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now.' Meghan, who has only visited Sussex once, continued: 'You have kids and you go "No, I share my name with my children".'

Amy Schumer has now chosen to weigh in on it, taking a swipe at the former Suits star in an Instagram video.

At the end of her monologue on Mounjaro, peri-menopause and her improving sex drive, Amy said: 'That’s all I have to say, and I’m not gonna talk any s**t, I’m not gonna stir the pot - but why don’t we have to call Kate Middleton "Kate of Wales?”.

Justine Bateman, Whitney Cumming, Christina Pazsitzky and Katherine Ryan have all previously criticised her new Netflix show.

From Rocket Man to Tiny Dancer and all the hits in between, members of the British Royal Family have been long-time fans of Sir Elton John, who turns 78 today.

For Elton (real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight), mingling with royalty was a far cry from his working-class childhood in a council house in Pinner, north-west London.

But his close relationship with multiple generations of royals started in the 1970s when he accepted a gold-embossed invitation to dinner at Kensington Palace from Princess Margaret, who was a huge music fan.

Elton's growing songbook - as well as living within close proximity to Windsor Castle - only made his interactions with the royals more frequent.

Read more here:

Vanity Fair's former editor Graydon Carter said the duchess was 'adrift on facts and reality' after she was plastered as a cover star eight years ago.

Meghan was the star of one of Mr Carter's final editions as editor, in October 2017, with the cover line: 'She's just wild about Harry.'

He admitted that he had 'no idea' who Meghan was when one of his team suggested her for the cover, asking them: 'Why should we do a story on her?' His colleague replied: 'Because she's going to marry Prince Harry.'

But when a Vanity Fair reporter interviewed Meghan, she apparently snapped: 'Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy.'

According to Page Six, Mr Carter raised his eyebrows as he recalled the story and said: 'This woman is slightly adrift on the facts and reality'.

Weeks after the interview was published, in November 2017, Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry was announced in a statement released by his father. By early 2020 the couple had stepped down as working royals and emigrated to California.

Smiling with Prince Harry by her side in poverty stricken Colombia, Meghan Markle strode hand-in-hand with her husband into a school carrying a pristine white bag on her shoulder.

Days after the photo op last summer it emerged that the Duchess of Sussex had become a minority shareholder in Cesta Collective, a business set up by two wealthy New Yorkers who employ a small army of Rwandan women to weave their bags.

Cesta promises 'dignified employment opportunities for talented female artisans' - but soon after Meghan's investment, it was reported that it pays some of the women who make them as little as 10 pence an hour.

Read more here:

It's a been a busy week so far for Meghan who launched her online shop selling fashion items she endorses in a commercial tie-up that experts predict could see her rake in 'millions'.

The duchess told her 2.6 million followers on Instagram yesterday: 'Many of you have asked, so here you go! A little shopping to start the week.'

It means Meghan could receive commission from clothing and accessories she has hand-picked for sale. The ShopMy site features 32 items 'curated' by the duchess with 'affiliated' links to the brands' websites.

Under the terms of Harry and Meghan's agreement with Buckingham Palace when they acrimoniously quit royal duties, there is nothing to stop her selling products as long as she doesn't nakedly cash in on her royal links.

However, it is notable that the new scheme has been launched using her full title, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle has been labelled as 'tacky' amid emerging discomfort around the Duchess seemingly using her children to promote business ventures.

Those in royal circles are said to be concerned about Meghan's increasing use of the couple's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to promote her business.

Yesterday, Meghan posting a glossy picture of her cuddling them on both her personal and official As Ever sites. The 43-year-old posted a rare photograph (above) of her children with their faces turned from the camera.

Just one hour after posting the image, she revealed she now has a 'ShopMy page' which experts say she is likely to cash in on.

It is expected she will rake in 'millions' with her online shop selling fashion items she endorses in a commercial tie-up.

One expert called it 'tacky and desperate'.

Speaking to The Sun, royal author and journalist Phil Dampier said: 'It begs the question whether Meghan is exploiting her two children who remain in the line of succession. I'd expect the Palace to take a dim view of this.'

Prince William shared a playful joke while wishing Dame Mary Berry a happy birthday in a heartfelt message to the queen of baking in celebration of her 90th birthday.

The video aired last night's special episode of The One Show.

Prince William said:

I want to wish you a very happy 90th birthday. You are a true national treasure and we've loved working with you over the years. Have a fantastic day today.

I dread to think who's cooking your cake and the criticism they might get, but good luck and I hope it goes really well.

Hosted by Alex Jones and Roman Kemp, the episode celebrated the incredible life of the beloved cook, and featured an avalanche of special messages from celebrity friends, including Dame Joanna Lumley, Paul Hollywood, Andi Oliver and Don Warrington.

Watch William's message below:

Actor Stephen Fry will today be knighted by the King for his services to charity.

Sir Stephen, 67, known for BBC comedy Blackadder and hosting quiz show QI, will be honoured at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle alongside more than 50 others, including three-time Olympic medallist Dina Asher-Smith.

Both Sir Stephen and Asher-Smith were named in the King’s New Years Honours list.

Sir Stephen will be awarded the knighthood by Charles for services to mental health awareness, the environment and charity.

Since 2011, he has been president of mental health charity Mind and supported the conservation group Fauna and Flora International, of which the Prince of Wales is patron.

He has bipolar disorder and has been open about his struggles with mental illness.

Sprinter Asher-Smith, 29, will be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics.

To most people, being born a Prince sounds like winning the lottery in life.

Being educated at the finest schools, getting to explore grand palaces, and having your every whim met by an army of servants sounds to many like the perfect childhood.

But according to Prince Harry, the fact he was only second in line to the throne and not first, or the 'Spare' as he likes to call it, seems to have left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Read more here:

King Charles will visit the Vatican next month but any hopes of meeting Pope Francis following his release from hospital appear to have been thrown into doubt.

Charles will travel to Italy for a trip to the Vatican alongside engagements in Rome and Ravenna from April 7 to April 10 but whether he will receive an audience with Francis remains to be seen.

Vatican officials have stressed the Pope will cut down his audiences, trips and public appearances as he recovers from a critical bout of double pneumonia which left him in hospital for 38 days.

Francis, 88, returned to the Vatican on Monday after being treated at Gemelli hospital in Rome.

Claudio Santini, the head of internal medicine at the Grassi hospital in Rome, said those with an infectious condition will be kept away from the Pope and added his health would 'complicate' any planned meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan's upcoming podcast, was first announced on March 13.

Describing her venture at the time as 'candid conversations' with 'amazing women', Meghan wrote on her Instagram account that she was 'so excited' to share the news, describing recording the series as 'absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun!'

The former Suits actress added: 'Because what's the point if we can't have some fun on this wild adventure?'

She said the women had shared their 'tips, tricks (and tumbles)' as well as 'letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As ever'.

The duchess' Archetypes podcast about female stereotypes in 2022 ran for just one series, and was part of the Sussexes' previous £20million deal with Spotify, which ended the year after.

The podcast was created as part of a deal Meghan signed last year with Lemonada Media, which said listeners would hear 'unfiltered stories behind the successes of notable female founders'.

Meghan also spoke about her own 'entrepreneurial journey' in a statement coinciding with the release of the podcast trailer, insisting she is 'really, really lucky' many of her female friends had already set up their own businesses

In a statement given to People to accompany the trailer's release, Meghan spoke about the inspiration she has found from other female founders.

She told the magazine:

What's been meaningful is being able to talk about my own entrepreneurial journey with other female founders who are either on their own trajectory of growth or have IPO'd, sold, or created high impact brands and gone through all of the learning curves that we all do at the start.

You're just trying to figure out how to walk, then you want to learn how to run, and then you want to learn how to fly. All of those things take time. There's also something very exciting and energizing about learning something new as we get older. The entrepreneurial journey, for anyone, is a lot, and I'm also really, really lucky that so many of my close friends are female founders that I can glean advice from.

Meghan has promised listeners savvy business advice plus 'some girl talk' in her new podcast when it is drops next month.

In a newly-released teaser, the Duchess of Sussex says:

I'm Meghan, and this is Confessions of a Female Founder, a show where I chat with female entrepreneurs and friends about the sleepless nights, the lessons learned and the laser focus that got them to where they are today.

We're diving into the highs - and the lows - and the kind of advice that turns small ideas into billion-dollar businesses. And of course, we're going to get some girl talk!

The preview also includes audio from the show, in which guests speak about their own business ventures.

The Duchess also asks one guest about their relationship status, saying: 'Are you saying you're not single now? Have I missed something in the past couple weeks? What's happening?!'

She also says in the preview:

And through it all, I'm building a business of my own, and getting all sorts of practical advice along the way that I'm very excited to share with you. So join me for Confessions of a Female Founder from Lemonada Media, which by the way, is also female-founded. Launching April 8, wherever you get your podcasts.

Meghan Markle revealed the trailer for her new podcast today, telling listeners it will give them the 'kind of advice that turns small ideas into billion-dollar businesses'.

The Duchess of Sussex adds in the preview for Confessions of a Female Founder, her new production with Lemonada Media: 'We're going to get some girl talk!'

Meghan also giggles about whether one of her business guests is single, in the one-minute preview ahead of the first of eight weekly episodes out on April 8.

The preview, first revealed by People at 7.30am, comes after the new podcast was announced on March 13 - following the Lemonada deal struck in February last year.

Read more here:

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline's live royal coverage.

Throughout the day we will bring you updates from the Royal Family with the latest on King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex along with many more.

Today, the first teaser for Meghan's new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder will be released featuring the Duchess sharing 'candid conversations' with female entrepreneurs and the trials and tribulations of running a business.

It comes as the 43-year-old is accused of being 'tacky and desperate' following details of her new 'ShopMy page', an online shop selling fashion items she has personally endorsed.

Meanwhile, any plans for King Charles to visit Pope Francis when he visits Italy next month appear increasingly in doubt as the Pontiff continues his recovery from pneumonia.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest royal news and gossip.