EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Mocked for 'Pathetic' Business Move As She Fights to Shift Her Goop-Style 'Tat'
Meghan Markle has faced ridicule for her Goop-style business and poor product sales.
Nov. 11 2025, Updated 5:36 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle is being ridiculed for using her friends' Montecito bookshop to sell her struggling lifestyle brand As Ever, with critics telling RadarOnline.com the Duchess of Sussex is "pathetically leaning on her wealthy pals" in a bid to save her faltering business empire.
The 44-year-old Duchess unveiled her first-ever As Ever "pop-up store" in an Instagram Reel, showing herself arranging candles, fruit spreads, and tea blends at Godmothers bookshop – a store co-owned by her close friends, literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics entrepreneur Victoria Jackson.
Calling in Favors for a Boost
'The 44-year-old Duchess unveiled her first-ever As Ever 'pop-up store'
The store, located just a few minutes from the Sussexes' mansion in Montecito, now stocks As Ever products in its upstairs events space.
The launch coincided with Oprah Winfrey, 71 – a longtime friend and neighbor of Markle's – adding As Ever's Fruit Spread Gift Box to her coveted "Favorite Things" list, an endorsement widely seen as a carefully orchestrated boost to the diva duchess' flagging brand.
Hours later, Markle's team sent out an email offering 10 percent off the "beloved spreads," marking the first time As Ever has offered a discount.
One PR insider said: "It's classic celebrity crisis management. Meghan's sales clearly need a boost, so she's calling in favors – famous friends, friendly stores, and Oprah's spotlight. But instead of looking savvy, it comes off as a little desperate."
Critics Mock 'Desperate' Move
Markle's team sent out an email offering 10 percent off the spreads.
Social media users quickly mocked the Duchess's latest business move, with one writing: "She can't sell her tat online, so now she's stacking her own shelves."
Another commented: "This is pathetic. She's relying on her rich friends to make her brand look relevant."
A California-based retail consultant said the launch was "a soft attempt at rebranding failure."
They added: "It's obvious she picked that shop because it's a safe space where she controls the narrative. But consumers aren't fooled – it feels staged, not genuine."
Carefully Choreographed Launch
Social media users quickly mocked the Duchess's latest business move.
Markle, who has recently begun filming a cameo as herself in the Hollywood comedy Close Personal Friends, was photographed smiling at the boutique launch.
Wearing white linen trousers and a pinstripe shirt, she arranged As Ever displays alongside books and décor, a move insiders say was "carefully choreographed" to show her as hands-on.
A Montecito resident said: "People around here are amused – she talks like she's building an empire, but it looks more like she's just helping out at her friends' boutique."
Liquor License Controversy
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Eagle-eyed followers claimed Godmothers bookshop had appeared to break licensing laws.
The pop-up has also been hit by controversy after eagle-eyed followers claimed Godmothers bookshop had appeared to break alcohol licensing laws.
Promotional photos shared by Meghan showed a bottle of sparkling wine in an ice bucket and a wooden crate containing As Ever–branded wines, prompting accusations that the store was selling alcohol without a license.
Several social media users said they had reported the alleged breach to local officials.
"If she's serving alcohol without a permit, she'll get fined," wrote one commenter.
"The rules apply even in Montecito." However, a source close to the store has since denied any wrongdoing, insisting the bottle was filled with water and the ice cubes were fake.
"It was purely decorative," the source said. "No wine was served, and the props were there to create a visual theme."
