The year 2025 proved to be a period of significant professional ambition and personal challenge for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. While she launched major new ventures, several faced harsh criticism, and the year ended with distressing family news concerning her father's health.
Business Ventures Meet Mixed Fortunes
March marked a pivotal moment with the dual launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and the premiere of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Initial products from As Ever, including her now-famous jams, sold out rapidly, indicating strong consumer interest. However, the Netflix programme was immediately panned by television critics, who labelled it 'exhausting' and 'sensationally absurd'.
Undeterred by the show's poor reception, Meghan continued to expand As Ever throughout the year, introducing new lines such as honey, baking mixes, tea, and eventually venturing into wine. In April, she released a new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, but after just eight episodes, she announced an indefinite hiatus to concentrate on her other projects.
Public Appearances and Social Media Scrutiny
The Duchess maintained a high public profile with several philanthropic trips, including visits to New York for World Mental Health Day with Prince Harry and to Washington D.C. for the Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit. Her debut at Paris Fashion Week in October, to support friend Pierpaolo Piccioli of Balenciaga, caused a stir, marking her first trip to mainland Europe in three years.
Yet, this appearance also attracted controversy when a social media video she posted from Paris was noted by observers for its proximity to the site of Princess Diana's fatal 1997 car crash. The year also saw Meghan criticised for other social media moments, including a video of her twerking in hospital while pregnant and being photographed at Kris Jenner's birthday party on the eve of Remembrance Sunday.
Continued Criticism and a Difficult Family Matter
Professionally, the challenges persisted. A second season of With Love, Meghan dropped on Netflix in August, followed by a holiday special in early December. Sadly for the Duchess, the new season also received brutal reviews and failed to break into Netflix's Top 10 most-viewed shows.
The year concluded on a deeply personal and sombre note. Meghan's father, Thomas Markle Snr, from whom she has been estranged since her 2018 wedding, fell gravely ill and underwent surgery to have his leg amputated. A spokesperson confirmed that Meghan had reached out to her father, who is recovering in the Philippines, during this health crisis.
With ongoing commitments to her brand, Netflix series, and charitable work alongside Prince Harry, 2026 is poised to be another intensely busy chapter for the Duchess of Sussex.
