Royal expert Jack Royston urges the Duchess to stop cashing in on her private life and seek a deeper purpose

Meghan Markle has come under fire for relying too heavily on her “millionaire lifestyle” to fuel her business endeavours, with a royal expert warning that audiences aren’t buying it—literally or figuratively.

As the Duchess of Sussex attempts to build momentum around her new lifestyle brand As Ever, Jack Royston of The Sun says her efforts risk falling flat unless she stops “monetising her life” and starts showing something more authentic and challenging.

In a no-holds-barred assessment, Royston stated, “I think Meghan has to go through this phase of things that don’t quite land in order to summon from within herself the motivation to leave the house and not just monetise her own life.”

According to Royston, the brand’s current direction—based on curated snippets of her luxurious California lifestyle—fails to resonate with ordinary people. “She’s got a little home farm which she’s using to cook, to make crudité boards for the kids and someone’s turned around and said, ‘Oh, this is so wonderful, you make the best crudité boards’, so she’s like, ‘I’m going to make it into a TV show.’”

While the idea of sharing domestic elegance may appeal to some, Royston believes it doesn’t strike a chord with those facing the harsh realities of daily life.

“You can’t do that,” he snapped. “Your millionaire lifestyle is not interesting enough to people who are struggling for you to just monetise your own life.”

Royston argued that to truly connect with a broader audience and build something sustainable, Meghan must break from her polished narrative and engage in challenging conversations—even with critics.

“You have to push it. You have to leave the house. You have to push yourself out of your comfort zone,” he said. “What I actually think she should do is sit across the table from people who disagree with her, because no royal family member has ever done that. It’s never happened.”

As Ever, launched earlier this year, has yet to define itself clearly in the crowded celebrity lifestyle space. With echoes of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, it currently revolves around curated content inspired by Meghan’s private world—from her garden to her kitchen.

While there’s interest in the duchess’s post-royal narrative, the challenge lies in making that story compelling beyond the gates of Montecito.

Critics argue that Meghan’s current branding is rooted in an elite, untouchable image that lacks the substance or relatability required for long-term consumer trust. In an era when authenticity is king and influencers are increasingly called to account for their privilege, simply selling sunshine and crudités may not cut it.

Supporters, however, argue that Meghan deserves room to experiment as she reinvents herself. They point to her past success with the Archetypes podcast, which topped Spotify charts, as proof that she can connect deeply when she hits the right tone.

Whether As Ever becomes another flash-in-the-pan celebrity vanity project or evolves into a meaningful platform may rest on Meghan’s willingness to heed advice like Royston’s—and move beyond the filtered facade.

For now, the duchess remains a polarising figure in both media and business. And if she wants As Ever to live up to its ambitious name, it may require more than handpicked vegetables and picture-perfect tablescapes.