It’s been a busy few weeks for the Sussexes. As Prince Harry battled against the British government in court over his security provisions and hit back against bullying claims by a former colleague, Meghan found herself in markedly better stead. In fact, she’s truly on the up and up.

Meghan’s new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, launched to five-star reviews from Spotify listeners. Her product line with As Ever sold out in less than an hour. A new Netflix deal is imminent, with reports suggesting a whopping £77million fee, following the ratings success of With Love, Meghan.

And yet somehow, news of Meghan’s supposed failings continue to litter the media landscape. Critics suggest the first episode of Confessions of a Female Founder, which features 50 minutes of advice on entrepreneurship from Bumble founder Whitney Wolf Herd – named the youngest female billionaire in 2021 – is ‘inane’ and ‘mindless’. Others insist Meghan’s wildflower honey offering with As Ever is – big gasp – a bit watery. This is the same honey that sold out so quickly some customers had their orders rescinded – and refunds issued – after a website malfunction. In response, Meghan sent a personal message to customers offering them a free jar on the next launch. How DARE she?!

The duchess is now being pulled into Harry’s more contentious press too. Last month, he resigned from the charity he cofounded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho – Senetable, which works to support young people in Southern Africa – after the boards relationship with chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka broke down ‘beyond repair’. The board of trustees and Prince Seeiso all resigned after Chandauka resisted attempts to remove her as chair, and the pair put out a joint statement claiming the situation had become ‘untenable’. Dr Sophie Chandauka has since accused the board of ‘abuse of power, bullying, sexism and racism’. All parties involved deny her allegations.

‘What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal,’ Prince Harry said in response. ‘We fully expect will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign… we remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve.’

The Charity Commission, a watchdog organisation, says it is assessing the allegations. Meanwhile, headlines are emerging blaming Meghan for the fallout, claiming she ‘fell out’ with Chandauka before the public feud. What ever will be next, we wonder? ‘Meghan sneezed seconds before Myanmar earthquake’, ‘Experts say Meghan’s bees are too well hydrated’, ‘Meghan’s sold-out jam starts Trump trade war with France’!

But seriously, in amongst all the drivel, there’s real stories that deserve to be told. Take her admission about suffering postpartum preeclampsia, for example. A rarely discussed health condition that can occur up to six weeks after birth, it has severe health complications if left untreated.

‘It’s so rare and it’s so scary,’ Meghan said to Herd on her podcast, who has also suffered the condition. ‘You’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people—mostly for your children—but those things are huge medical scares.’

But sure, call the podcast inane, right? Next up, Meghan promises more interviews with women who’ve scaled up startups into industry giants. She’s also further developing her As Ever product line, filming for the second series of With Love, Meghan and expanding her social media presence – and any backlash is ‘like water off a ducks back’, says royal expert Katie Nicholl.

‘Meghan’s learnt to turn the other cheek when it comes to criticism, those around her say she’s incredibly resilient now because she’s had to be,’ Nicholl explains. ‘It’s not going to deter [her and Harry] from cracking Hollywood and pursuing the ventures that they they’ve set their minds to. They’ve experienced such an intense global backlash, it’s almost as if there’s nothing more to lose now – instead there’s the sense that they’ve got everything to gain.’

Some have questioned the business savvy around launching so many projects at once, – particularly a podcast after her first offering, Archeytpes, wasn’t commissioned for a second season – but Nicholl says its all part of a bigger plan.

‘Meghan is incredibly tenacious and ambitious. I don’t think [Archetypes criticism] was ever going to put her off from doing another podcast. She’s got a great network of contacts and the cookery show, her product line, they’ve both been a real launch pad for her as a solo venture. Part of Meghan’s vision is a multimedia platform, with multimillion dollar deals with production companies and TV giants, and the fact her and Harry are willing to embrace different genres will be attractive to Netflix, coupled with their star pulling power. This is all about building brand Meghan – and it’s working.’

So there you have it – she’s having the last laugh after all, as she should!