Meghan Markle is scheduled to be a guest speaker at the three-day 'Her Best Life' women's retreat in Sydney starting this Friday, with 300 attendees. Women have paid more than $3,000 to attend the retreat, with VIP tickets including a group selfie or photo with Meghan Markle. The retreat is organized by Gemma O'Neill and radio host Jackie O Henderson through their events company Besties, according to multiple reports.
The retreat has failed to sell out, with additional tickets being released last-minute despite earlier claims of being sold out, according to multiple reports. Gemma O'Neill's talent agency, Gemmie Agency, has gone into voluntary liquidation with debts exceeding $500,000, mainly to the Australian Taxation Office, according to multiple reports. O'Neill informed administrators she cannot repay debts due to lack of savings, low income, and failed refinancing of her apartment, according to multiple reports.
Security concerns have arisen after an online troll claimed to be attempting to gain access to the retreat, with discussions about secretly recording the event, according to multiple reports. The event requires security clearance and prohibits phone use during Meghan's interview, with a 'strict no phones' policy, according to multiple reports.
The InterContinental Hotel's pool, spa, and leisure deck are unfinished, with construction ongoing ahead of the retreat, according to multiple reports. Coogee Beach below the hotel has been plagued by 'poop balls' or effluent containing human excrement and other waste, according to multiple reports.
Meghan Markle's appearance at the retreat was brokered by her close friend Markus Anderson, who suggested her as the guest of honor, according to multiple reports. A British former paparazzo and OnlyFans documentary filmmaker Joshua Fox is involved in Meghan Markle's upcoming private women's retreat in Sydney, helping organizer Gemma O'Neill with social media content, according to multiple reports. Joshua Fox was seen at the InterContinental Hotel in Coogee last Friday when Gemma O'Neill was meeting with representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to multiple reports.
Meghan Markle requested that Gemma O'Neill interview her at the retreat instead of Jackie O Henderson, to avoid overshadowing her mission, according to an insider.
Jackie O Henderson's radio show with Kyle Sandilands was taken off air after a public row, with contracts terminated, according to multiple reports. Gemma O'Neill previously co-hosted the show alongside Australian celebrity Jackie “O” Henderson, until Ms Henderson announced she would 'step away' from the podcast in February this year, according to research.
A loan of $18,143 was made by Gemmie Agency to Besties Australia, with administrators seeking clarification, according to multiple reports.
A petition demanding no taxpayer funding for Harry and Meghan's Australia trip has gathered tens of thousands of signatures, according to multiple reports. The Sussexes' Australia trip is privately funded, not taxpayer-funded, according to multiple reports.
Meghan and Harry prefer to be addressed informally as 'Harry and Meghan' or 'Meg', not by royal titles, during their Australia trip, according to multiple reports. During their visit to Australia, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will pursue their own charitable and commercial interests, acting as private citizens rather than representatives of the UK, according to research.
The retreat will take place from April 17–19 at the InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach, according to research. The couple are expected to visit both Sydney and Melbourne and 'take part in a number of private, business, and philanthropic engagements', according to a spokesman. It is understood the Duke and Duchess’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will accompany them, according to research.
Activities across the weekend include a women’s psychology session, yoga, sound healing, time by the pool and a 'dance-floor-filled disco night', according to research.