Meghan Markle is reportedly finding herself increasingly isolated in Hollywood, withseveral A-list friends in Los Angeles said to be distancing themselves from the Duchess of Sussexover claims she has used their names to help sell her lifestyle products.
The news came after journalist and broadcaster Paula Froelich told theDaily Mailthat Meghan Markle, 44, and Prince Harry, 41, had become known in elite circles for being 'very name-droppy' as they try to build a post-royal business empire from their £15 million Montecito home.
The couple, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to North America to pursue financial independence, once counted George and Amal Clooney, David Beckham and Oprah Winfrey among their starry acquaintances. Now, according to several unnamed insiders, some of those relationships appear to be fraying.
Froelich claimed that the mood around Meghan Markle in parts of Hollywood has cooled markedly. 'No one wants to hang out with Meghan,' she alleged, adding that one concern among high-profile figures was the fear their association could be leveraged for commercial gain.
'Lots of reasons, but she might sell clothes while using their name,' Froelich told the paper, suggesting that some celebrities were wary of seeing their reputations folded into marketing pushes for the duchess' various ventures.
None of the named celebrities has publicly commented on the claims, and there is no independent confirmation that specific friendships have ended, so these accounts should be treated with caution.
Another source, also speaking to theDaily Mail, suggested the Sussexes do not accept that they might bear responsibility for any social frost. 'They don't get it. They never think it is them,' the insider said, framing the couple as baffled by the cooling of certain relationships rather than contrite.
For context, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the royal family in January 2020 and later settled in California with a clear stated aim: to become financially self-sufficient and to control their own narrative. High-profile contracts quickly followed, most prominently a reported $100 million (£80 million) production deal with Netflix to create documentaries, scripted series, and other content.
Away from the gossip about who is or is not invited to dinner in Montecito, the harder edge of the story is money. Several projects attached to the Sussexes havefailed to perform as hoped, and that has sharpened the focus on Meghan Markle's commercial choices.
Their Netflix agreement, celebrated as a coup when it was announced, has reportedly been scaled back this year after series such asHeart of InvictusandPolodid not generate the viewing figures the streaming giant wanted. The duchess's own cooking and lifestyle programme,With Love, Meghan, was also cancelled after two seasons.
Source: International Business Times UK
