Meghan sets off alarm bells for royal family with ‘unusual’ move that risks creating ‘tension’ with Harry

Meghan Markle is set to take the stage for a live, in-person Q&A during a women’s retreat in Australia — a format that, according to a former royal staffer, could open the door to some unpredictable and potentially delicate moments for Britain’s royal family.

The appearance — scheduled for mid-April when Meghan and husband Prince Harry are in Australia for what their spokesperson described as a series of “private, business and philanthropic engagements” — marks a notable departure from the carefully managed outings typically associated with royal life, even for non-working members of the family.

According to former royal butler Grant Harrold, the event hosted by the “Her Best Life” podcast is likely to have sparked quiet concern among members of The Firm, who will be watching closely to see how any unexpected moments unfold during a period of heightened scrutiny for Britain’s most famous family.

A risky endeavor

Harrold, who worked for King Charles III from 2004 to 2011, believes the biggest issue is the lack of control that comes with this kind of event, which is something the royal family has historically avoided.

“The royal family, as a rule, do not do Q&A sessions, and in fact they have never really done them, at least not in any way that I can recall in recent times,” Harrold told Wonderwall.com, speaking on behalf of OLBG.

“So it is quite unusual for a royal to sit down and participate in an open question-and-answer format where anything could potentially be asked.”

Even though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left Britain — and their roles as working royals — more than six years ago for a new, more independent life in California, Meghan “is still a member of the family, which makes this situation particularly sensitive and potentially tricky, because in a Q&A you simply cannot control what might come up,” Harrold added.

Fueling ‘tension’

Some questions could be tricky to navigate. For example, Harrold points out, what if an audience member asked about the current scandal involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following the former Duke of York’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office?

“There could be questions about [the former] Prince Andrew, there could be questions about the royal family more broadly, or there could be questions about relationships within the family,” noted Harrold, who released the book The Royal Butler in 2025.

“When or if those questions arise, it can become very difficult to navigate them carefully without creating tension.”

He believes the lack of oversight is another likely concern for the palace.

“Because of this, I think it is very likely that the royal family will feel concerned about the idea of her doing this live … because they will be aware that there is no formal process in place to prepare or guide her responses in advance, and without that kind of oversight it could end up being entirely whatever she chooses to say in the moment,” Harrold, an etiquette expert, explained.

“I don’t expect the royal family to intervene publicly or make any formal statements about it, but privately, they will almost certainly be hoping that she exercises restraint and avoids saying anything that could cause unnecessary problems, create negative headlines or make life difficult for them behind the scenes.”

What it could mean for Harry

Harrold suggested the timing could be especially delicate given Harry’s efforts to repair family relationships in recent months following his headline-making reunion with his father in London in September 2025, which was believed to be their first face-to-face meeting in more than 18 months.

“At the same time, Prince Harry is clearly trying to repair his relationship with his family, so I imagine he would be particularly cautious about this kind of situation, and if he has had any conversations about it, he would probably be urging her to be very careful about what she chooses to discuss,” Harrold said.

“I imagine the guidance would be to keep the focus on her own life, her work, her films [she’s producing for Netflix] and her immediate family and to avoid bringing him or the wider royal family into the discussion,” Harrold added.

“If she does decide to go ahead regardless, even with the best intentions, it is possible that it could create some tension between them, particularly at a time when he is trying to rebuild and maintain those important family relationships.”

Inside the women’s retreat

Meghan is set to appear during a three-day “Girls’ Weekend” retreat from April 17 and April 19 at the InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach hotel.

The event will feature not only the Q&A session with Meghan but a gala dinner, a disco celebration, time with a high-profile psychologist, a meditation and manifestation session, morning yoga and a sound healing experience.

The retreat is limited to 300 guests with ticket prices ranging from about $1,932 for early birds to $2,290 for VIP packages that include perks like premium seating and a group table photo with Meghan.

Despite early reports speculating that Meghan was being compensated for her time, “Her Best Life” podcast host Gemma O’Neill recently implied the former Suits star is not being paid to appear.

“I’m going to answer probably something that I think would feel fairly obvious, ‘Oh it must be costing you a fortune to have Meghan come to your event’,” O’Neill said, as reported by Australia’s 9Honey.

“Um, no guys, I think you all know, the community knows, I don’t have that kind of money, guys. That’s not on the cards for me.

“But what I will say is that she is effectively doing this as a favor to our mutual friend,” O’Neill added, likely a reference to Markus Anderson, a Soho House consultant who’s a longtime friend of both women.