Meghan Markle Announces New Podcast But Fans Are Calling Her Out Over One Detail: "I Thought We Had..."

From the re-launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever to her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, and now a podcast, 2025 is turning out to be quite the busy year for Meghan Markle. The Duchess seems to have also rebranded herself as ‘Meghan Sussex.’ Yet, her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder With Meghan, omits her new surname. The sketchy omission has sparked criticism as royal fans point out the same shady thing.

As Markle's new Netflix series is set to be renewed for a second season, she introduced her third venture on Instagram. The caption read, “I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities, and scaled small ideas into massively successful businesses…It has been absolutely eye-opening, inspiring…and fun! (Because what’s the point if we can’t have some fun on this wild adventure?)” The podcast, set to launch on April 8, however, didn’t spark enthusiasm among royal watchers.

Netizens were left confused as to why her podcast omitted her ‘Sussex’ title which she so pointedly made clear recently. According to The List, critics took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration. A person noted, “Just 'Meghan'? I thought we had to address her as Sussex.” Another quipped, "She's doing a parody of Meghan Sussex by Meghan Markle.” In a similar vein, a comment also read, "So it’s really Archetypes 2.0 with a business twist. Perhaps she’ll give tips on how to secure a trademark, pay corporate taxes, and write USAID grant applications." Meanwhile, a critic compared Markle to actress Hilaria Baldwin who faked being Hispanic. "Would love to see a podcast of just Hilaria and Meghan Markle-the narcissism Olympics," they said.

While only time will tell if the podcast thrives, Markle's lifestyle brand and her series have garnered widespread criticism, with people accusing her of shading the royal family. According to the DailyMail, Ex Vanity Fair editor, Tina Brown, slammed, “Who announces a new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, and hounds celebrity friends to talk up her strawberry jam on social media, without doing due diligence on the availability of the trademark?” The Duchess's father, Thomas, also accused his daughter of ‘faking it for the cameras.’ He said, “Meghan never had a problem with the Markle name until she met Prince Harry. Now I have to say, ‘I am Meghan Sussex’s dad.'”

Despite the constant criticism surrounding her ventures, Markle seems undeterred, with no signs of slowing down. Markle's return to podcasting is surprising considering her previous podcast, Archetypes, lasted for just 12 episodes, with the $20 million Spotify deal eventually falling through. The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision came after Spotify executives felt frustrated over Markle's conceptualizing and last-minute edits.