EXCLUSIVE: How 'Lazy' Meghan Markle Quietly Let Her 'Get Women Back to Work' Project Fizzle Out — 'She Only Wants to Help Herself!'
Insiders said Meghan Markle let her 'Get Women Back to Work' project fizzle out once cameras stopped rolling.
Sept. 18 2025, Published 7:47 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle has been accused of abandoning her much-hyped initiative to help women back into the workplace, with royal insiders telling RadarOnline.com the project was "all talk" and proof she has shifted from charity to self-interest.
The 44-year-old launched the campaign, called 40x40, on her 40th birthday in 2021, encouraging mentors to donate 40 minutes of their time to support women left jobless after the pandemic.
All a PR Stunt?
Meghan Markle launched the 40x40 mentoring campaign.
But three years later the scheme has quietly disappeared, prompting sharp criticism.
"It was billed as a serious attempt to help women, but the truth is it was a gimmick," one royal aide told us. "Meghan got the headlines on her birthday, and then she let the whole thing fizzle out. It says everything about her priorities."
Another source close to the palace said: "The failure of 40x40 underlines the problem. Meghan is nowhere near another Princess Diana, and never will be, no matter how much she fantasizes about that.
"Diana devoted herself to causes with commitment and empathy. Meghan wants the image of activism, but she doesn't follow through."
Those familiar with the dead project say there was little infrastructure behind the glossy launch video, which featured Markle joking with actor Melissa McCarthy.
Meghan Didn't Take Action On The Project
The initiative quietly disappeared three years later.
"There was no clear structure for how the mentoring would actually work," a former staffer said. "It was more about generating attention for Meghan than creating a sustainable program. Once the cameras were off, nothing happened."
A Hollywood insider added: "Meghan has moved firmly into self-interest. Her energy is on Netflix, production meetings, and lifestyle branding. Charity work is no longer her focus. She talks about helping others, but the reality is she's building her personal empire."
Critics say the contrast with her mother-in-law, Princess Diana, could not be more stark.
"Diana would walk into a hospital ward or onto a minefield and the compassion was real," a source said.
"Meghan is more concerned with securing celebrity profiles in Los Angeles. The British public can see the difference, which is why she will never occupy the same place in their hearts."
Meghan Struggles To Deliver
Insiders compared her work unfavorably to Princess Diana.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Another palace figure said: "The idea behind 40x40 was to help women re-enter the workplace, but the only career that got a boost was Meghan's. She used the project to promote her image as a humanitarian, then quietly let it die. That makes it look cynical."
The timing of the launch, just a year after Markle and Prince Harry stepped back as senior royals, has also drawn criticism.
"It was supposed to show she could create meaningful initiatives outside the royal family," said one insider. "Instead, it proved the opposite – that without the palace machinery behind her, she struggles to deliver."
Royal aides called the project a gimmick.
A former charity partner in the UK added: "We were hopeful the initiative would evolve into something tangible. But we never heard from her team again. It just evaporated."
But a source close to the Sussexes defended Meghan, saying: "She genuinely wanted to help women after the pandemic, but her life has become very busy with other commitments."
One more royal commentator was blunter in their assessment, saying: "Meghan likes to launch projects that make headlines. What she doesn't like is the hard work required to keep them going. That is why 40x40 failed."
