Meghan Markle Retreat in Chaos: Beauty Influencer 'Disinvited' After Organizers Discover Journalist Career Past — And Now Is Leaking Conference Details
Anyone who has worked in any type of media is getting banned from Meghan Markle's retreat.
April 10 2026, Published 3:46 p.m. ET
An Australian beauty influencer claims she was abruptly refunded and disinvited from Meghan Markle’s struggling Sydney wellness retreat after organizers discovered she had worked in the “media,” RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Ariana Pezeshki — who has appeared in lifestyle segments for Australia’s 7 News — said she was booted despite paying for a personal ticket to attend as a fan, even though the event isn't sold out.
Ariana Pezeshki Paid to Attend in a Personal Capacity
Ariana Pezeshi's editorial beat is beauty, fashion and shopping.
Pezeshki paid $2,699 for the "Her Best Life" retreat, which, in addition to a brief appearance by Markle, includes yoga, manifestation workshops, sound healing sessions and a "gala dinner."
"What I didn’t expect was that after inviting me, taking my money, and welcoming me to the weekend, the organizers of Her Best Life would abruptly refund me the moment they realized I’m a journalist," she wrote in a piece for 7 News online.
Pezeshki has contributed beauty and lifestyle pieces to numerous publications, including InStyle, Elle and Marie Claire. Her articles are less than hard-hitting, including "Five of the Best Wide-Calf Boots Made For Walking This Season," and "The Dyson Airwrap I.D. Is Here and It’s a Gamechanger."
Despite not covering hard news or even royals, she was still floored when the event happily invited her, took her money and then told her to get lost seemingly because of her profession.
Organizers Told Ariana Pezeshki 'We Can't Wait to Meet You'
The organizers of Meghan Markle's retreat were initially thrilled for Ariana Pezeshki.
After registering and getting an email back saying she was "invited" to the 300-person retreat, Pezeshki wrote, "A member of the Her Best Life team told me Gemma O’Neill 'would absolutely love' for me to join and that a spot had been reserved under my name. All I had to do was confirm, and they’d send through a private payment link."
After verifying the payment portal process was legitimate, Pezeshki plunked down her money and was excitedly told in her confirmation email, "We can’t wait to meet you" at the ex-royal's retreat.
Retreat's Full Itinerary Being Kept Under Wraps Due to 'Security Requirments'
Organizers refused to share the events full itinerary due to 'security requiements'
In an early April email, Pezeshki was informed that due to "security requirements, the full itinerary would only be shared after the long Easter weekend."
"Security requirements for what, exactly? A wellness retreat? A Meghan fireside chat?" the makeup aficionado asked.
She noted, "By now, I had nearly $3,000 floating in the ether and still no proper itinerary, tax invoice or clarity around logistics."
Pezeshki insisted, "With the lack of detail, I did what any reasonable paying guest would do. I asked for a tax invoice. That was the moment everything changed."
Instead of an invoice, Pezeshki got a phone call attempt, followed by an email that left her "blindsided."
"They had become aware that I work in media and, because this was a 'closed-door experience,' they were no longer able to offer me access. My ticket would be refunded in full," she said.
Retreat Secretly Enforcing a Ban on All Media
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Meghan Markle's retreat is banning anyone who works in the media, including beauty influencers.
"What makes the whole thing especially surprising is that at no point during the booking process was there any disclosed condition stating that media professionals were ineligible to attend," Pezeshki griped, adding there were "No terms and conditions, no eligibility clause, no fine print."
Pezeshki explained she hadn't requested press access, wasn't attending in any official capacity, had booked on a personal basis and as a paying customer and was "genuinely excited by the prospect of the weekend and, yes, curious to see Meghan speak in what was being billed as an intimate women’s setting."
She even stated that her role is in "shopping and affiliate editorial, hardly undercover investigative reporting on a wellness weekend."
Despite Pezeshki's pleas that she wasn't there to cover the event, "The answer remained the same: no media permitted, decision final, refund processed."
That left her feeling "less a supported woman and more screened liability," for the supposed women's empowerment weekend.
