Megan Markle, who now simply goes by Megan Sussex, has once again found herself embroiled in controversy, creating a predicament largely of her own making. Her latest misstep centers around a significant and very public fallout with the prestigious luxury fashion house Loro Piana, resulting in not only a multimillion-dollar financial loss but also a humiliating exclusion from an exclusive event hosted by none other than Gwyneth Paltrow. This series of unfortunate events began shortly after the launch of her Netflix series titled Love Megan, which premiered on March 1st, 2025.

In one particular episode, Megan appeared wearing an outfit sponsored by Loro Piana that was widely panned as a fashion disaster. She wore a short-sleeved cashmere top underneath a long-sleeved cashmere sweater paired with inexpensive linen pants from Zara. The resulting beige-on-beige combination was mocked online as a jarring mismatch, with social media users calling it everything from a “geriatric nuvo horror” to a total fashion abomination.

Reddit commentators were especially harsh, with one sarcastically questioning whether her upper half was freezing while her lower half was sweating, and another claiming their “spicy brain” was malfunctioning just from looking at the ensemble. The sweater, carelessly draped over her shoulders, was compared to a sloppy throwback to failed 1980s preppy styles gone wrong. This was particularly damaging because Loro Piana is a brand renowned for its timeless elegance and refinement, making Megan’s garish outfit not only a public embarrassment but a severe blow to the brand’s carefully cultivated reputation.

The CEO of Loro Piana moved quickly in response to the backlash, decisively cutting ties with Megan and canceling her contract, which amounted to a staggering $2.2 million loss in sponsorship fees and projected earnings. This sum included approximately $1.5 million in immediate contract value and an additional $700,000 in anticipated bonuses and future collaborations that were now wiped off the table in an instant. The company’s ruthless rejection reflected not only a loss of confidence in Megan but also underscored her overconfidence and poor judgment, leaving her team desperately trying to contain the fallout. But the damage extended far beyond just the financials; it was a full-blown public relations disaster that exposed Megan’s inability to align herself with the level of sophistication and subtlety that a brand like Loro Piana demands.

The repercussions didn’t stop there. Just two weeks later, on March 14th, 2025, Gwyneth Paltrow hosted a high-profile Loro Piana event in Montecito, located mere miles from Megan’s lavish estate, surrounded by lemon groves and picturesque coastal charm. The evening attracted A-list celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ted Sarandos, and Rob Lowe, all adorned in impeccable Loro Piana designs. The dinner was a showcase of Italian luxury, complete with exquisite cuisine served on the brand’s fine porcelain tableware, accompanied by cozy cashmere blankets and elegant wicker accents that elevated the atmosphere.

However, Megan and her husband, Prince Harry, were noticeably absent, and their exclusion was a glaring and intentional snub. Gwyneth Paltrow, who was partnering with Loro Piana to highlight timeless quality and elegance, made no mention of the Sussexes during the event, effectively signaling how far Megan’s standing among the elite had fallen. This was a calculated and public demonstration of exclusion, and it was clear that Megan had only herself to blame.

Adding fuel to the fire, Megan’s Netflix show Love Megan did little to help her image and arguably worsened the situation. The series came across as an ostentatious display of privilege, steeped in arrogance and a troubling obliviousness to the realities faced by ordinary people. One scene showed her fluffing eggs with sparkling water sourced from her personal chicken coop, a trivial luxury that struck many viewers as tone-deaf given rising grocery prices and economic struggles faced by everyday families.

Another episode featured a lavish, artificial children’s party organized with Mindy Kaling, where Megan ostentatiously arranged a rainbow assortment of berries like kiwis and raspberries, evoking comparisons to a modern-day Marie Antoinette flaunting excessive wealth. This extravagance in the context of a fragile economy was widely criticized, with many commentators online calling her out for being out of touch and detached from the struggles of the average person. One Yahoo commenter harshly remarked that Megan had no awareness, mocking her for flaunting expensive clothes and cooking alongside famous people, calling the behavior obnoxious.

The backlash was made more biting by the fact that Megan once threw a party to denounce fast fashion brands like Zara, yet here she was, seen returning to those very brands, which many interpreted as a desperate cash grab or possibly a petty jab at Kate Middleton, who is often praised for wearing Zara with elegance and class. The public’s reaction has been unforgiving, and Megan has become a frequent target of ridicule. A popular subreddit with over 70,000 followers dedicated to criticizing Megan catalogs everything from alleged plagiarism to production failures on her show, including a notable incident involving a bag of Whole Foods popcorn during a corn-on-the-cob stunt.

Users mock her overpriced brand of flower sprinkles and preserves, while some sneer at her so-called lack of likability, suggesting that even producers refuse to support her anymore. YouTuber Leilani from Barbados slammed the show as a self-obsessed fantasy and urged Megan to “drop the act.” This relentless wave of mockery—nicknamed “snarkle”—paints Megan as a walking caricature of entitlement. Her critics aren’t necessarily motivated by insecurity or jealousy, as some psychologists might suggest; rather, they are simply fed up with her repeated displays of privilege and tone-deafness.

Megan’s defenders occasionally point to past media attacks that have taken racial jabs at her, referencing headlines like “Almost Straight Out of Compton” or mocking comments about her “exotic DNA” circulating on platforms like TikTok. However, many argue that such defenses are a cop-out, claiming people’s dislike stems not from racial prejudice but from perceiving Megan as insincere and disingenuous—someone who steps on others to climb socially, only to fall once her façade begins to crack.

The Loro Piana outfit incident perfectly encapsulates her public persona: overpriced, overdone, and utterly out of touch. Critics have described the look as “geriatric,” with one sarcastically dubbing her the “Duchess of Industrial Beige,” a clever jab at her bland and forced fashion choices. Megan clearly aims to present herself as an effortlessly chic and wealthy woman, but in reality, she more closely resembles a Target shopper trying to mimic affluence. The sweater tossed over her shoulders screams product placement rather than genuine style, and the irony is not lost on observers that she has returned to Zara after previously denouncing it, a journey summarized wittily by a commenter as going “from Zara to Zara in ten years,” while Kate Middleton continues to wear the brand with impeccable grace.

Ultimately, the snub from Montecito and the $2.2 million financial blow can be seen as just desserts for Megan. The Netflix show, which was intended to silence critics and reclaim her narrative, has instead flopped badly. She can no longer attract heavyweight stars like Oprah or Taylor Swift, settling instead for lesser-known figures such as Mindy Kaling. Public conversations about her recent appearances focus less on her supposed talents or advice and more on her extravagant wardrobe and perceived superficiality, such as the expensive outfits she wore during the Invictus Games last year.

Megan’s decline is entirely self-inflicted; she is neither a groundbreaking trailblazer nor a misunderstood soul but rather a calculating social climber who overreached and misjudged her audience. The narratives that portray her as holding Prince Harry hostage or orchestrating the downfall of the monarchy exaggerate her role—it’s more accurate to see her as a wealthy socialite with poor fashion sense and terrible timing.

Her show’s lackluster content, combined with her odd barefoot antics and peculiar obsession with egg yolks, fails to charm viewers and instead comes across as dull and irritating. It’s likely Prince Harry wonders what he got himself into as the world watches Megan sidelined at the very events taking place near her own estate. The financial loss stings, but the damage to her reputation is far more severe. Once considered a darling of Netflix and Oprah’s circles, Megan has become a liability—too toxic and controversial for prestigious brands like Loro Piana to associate with. Her “snarkle” army of detractors continues to grow, and she has no one to blame but herself. This is not a case of victimhood born from jealousy or racism but rather the inevitable consequence of her own arrogance and missteps. The Duchess who once left behind affordable fashion for a life of luxury is now back where she seemingly belongs, facing a public that has simply had enough of her antics and games.