The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is likely looking back on a year of stark contrasts as 2025 concludes. It was a period defined by ambitious professional launches and significant personal challenges, creating a narrative of both triumph and turbulence.
A Busy Start with Mixed Fortunes
March 2025 marked a major push into the commercial world for Meghan. She simultaneously launched her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and premiered the first season of her Netflix programme, With Love, Meghan. The initial product drop for As Ever, featuring now-famous jams, proved a swift success, selling out in minutes.
However, the reception to her Netflix venture was immediately less favourable. Television critics branded the show, which focuses on cooking, gardening, and hostess tips aimed at 'embracing playfulness over perfection', as 'exhausting' and 'sensationally absurd'. The programme failed to attract substantial viewing figures on the streaming platform.
Expanding Ventures and Continued Scrutiny
Undeterred by the TV criticism, the Duchess continued to expand the As Ever brand throughout the year. The product line grew to include honey, baking mixes, tea, and eventually branched into the wine business.
In April, she released a new podcast titled Confessions of a Female Founder. After just eight episodes, Meghan announced an indefinite hiatus from the project to concentrate on her other business interests.
Her public appearances also drew significant attention and occasional controversy. In October, she attended Paris Fashion Week for the first time in three years, supporting friend Pierpaolo Piccioli. A social media post from the trip, showing her driving through Paris, was noted by some observers for its proximity to the location where Princess Diana died in 1997, sparking online debate.
Philanthropy and Further Professional Setbacks
Alongside her commercial work, Meghan maintained a schedule of charitable engagements. She travelled to New York with Prince Harry for World Mental Health Day and later attended Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington D.C.
Professionally, she remained committed to her Netflix series, releasing a second season in August and a special holiday episode in early December. Sadly for the Duchess, the new season followed the first's trajectory, receiving brutal reviews from critics and again failing to break into Netflix's Top 10 most-watched list.
The year also saw Meghan criticised for several social media moments, including a video of her dancing in hospital while pregnant and being photographed at a celebrity party on the eve of Remembrance Sunday.
A Personal and Painful Conclusion to the Year
The closing months of 2025 brought a deeply personal and distressing development. Meghan's father, Thomas Markle Snr, from whom she has been estranged since her 2018 wedding, fell gravely ill. The 80-year-old, who lives in the Philippines, underwent surgery resulting in the amputation of his leg.
Amid this family health crisis, a spokesperson for the Duchess confirmed that she had reached out to her father as he continues his recovery from the life-altering operation.
With ongoing dedication to her lifestyle brand, Netflix series, and philanthropic work with Prince Harry, 2026 is poised to be another intensely busy chapter for the Duchess of Sussex, who will hope to build on the successes and learn from the setbacks of a remarkably eventful year.
