Supporters of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have strongly dismissed allegations that their documentary about Girl Scouts selling cookies failed to fill seats at the Sundance Film Festival premiere.
The royal couple attended the event in Utah on Sunday morning, stepping onto the red carpet alongside the film’s director, Alysa Nahamias, for the screening of “Cookie Queens.”
In her address to the audience, Meghan, who once participated in Girl Scouts herself, lauded the documentary and expressed gratitude to the attendees for their presence.
“This is probably the most adorable film at the festival,” she remarked, noting that she and Prince Harry felt “honored and fortunate” to be part of the project.
Reports indicated that several seats remained empty during the screening at the Eccles Theatre, in contrast to the previous night’s premiere of Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” featuring stars like Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton, which reportedly had to turn away eager viewers.
Images circulating online appeared to capture notable gaps in the balcony seating above the bustling main floor of the theater before “Cookie Queens” commenced.
But supporters of Meghan and Harry, known colloquially as the Sussex Squad, have said claims the couple couldn’t sell out the premiere was a false online conspiracy to attack the couple and the documentary Archewell Productions had co-produced.
One person in the audience insisted it was a ‘packed house’ and a complete sell out. Others shared images from ticket websites showing there were no tickets available for the premiere – or for the coming days.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pictured alongside Cookie Queens director Alysa Nahamias at Sundance Film Festival
Pictures and video from inside the theatre was shared where people insisted there were a lot of empty seats
But supporters said there was clear evidence that the premiere was sold out and you could not get any tickets
The online row sparked by press reports in the US has led to them trading insults and pictures from inside the venue with critics of the couple who insist they could see empty seats.
There were around 150 empty seats when the premiere of Cookie Queens began on Sunday morning costing up to $7,000 for a pass, The New York Post claimed. This then reduced to around 60 empty seats when the film began ten minutes late, according to Page Six.
But it has sparked fury amongst their fans.
In response, one supporter who was there said: ‘This is silly, it was a packed house at 9am for a documentary in the biggest theater’.
Another tweeted: ‘LIARS, LIARS, LIARS! ALL screenings SOLD OUT!’. Several people shared screengrabs of the theatre’s online ticket page to prove it.
But critics have also taken to social media showing pictures and video from inside the theatre that they claim shows it was not full.
Several images were circled to show what some claimed did show swathes of empty seats.
In her speech the Duchess of Sussex thanked people for attending the Sunday morning showing.
She said to cheers on stage: ‘Thank you so much for being here bright and early. I know some of you probably had late nights, last night, so extra thanks for the effort.
‘My husband and I, and Archewell Productions, we are so proud and privileged to be able to support and uplift Cookie Queens’.
Meghan is hugged as she arrived at the screening yesterday with Harry in the background
Cookie Queens has had mixed early reviews and is yet to find a distributor.
According to Tom Sykes’ The Royalist substack, the couple’s involvement with the film began only after it was completed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then sat down and watched the special screening of their film, Cookie Queens, which follows four Girl Scouts during the iconic cookie-selling season.
Asked by a reporter whether Lilibet would become a Girl Scout in the future, Meghan gave a vague answer, saying they would ‘continue to explore whatever feels right’.
Meghan says she has a ‘personal affinity’ with the 91-minute film because she was a Girl Scout while growing up in California, with her mother Doria Ragland serving as her troop leader.
Speaking at the festival, Meghan recalled her time in the Girl Scouts and revealed what the experience meant to her.
She told a reporter: ‘It really embeds such great values from the get-go. I was a Girl Scout, my mom was my troop leader and I think the value of friendship, of being dedicated to a goal, as you see that in Cookie Queens, is so reflective of how these girls stick to something that is important to them and don’t give up.
‘And self-belief I think is a really integral value that comes as being a girl scout.’
Meghan was interviewed alongside Cookie Queens director Alysa
An excited Meghan spoke to and hugged the Girl Scouts at the festival where she and Harry attended a special screening
Meghan posted photos of her as a Girl Scout selling cookies in April last year
Speaking alongside Cookie Queens director Alysa Nahamias, Meghan added: ‘Alysa is also the mom of a daughter and I think for both of us working on this project has been incredibly special as parents, as mothers, to be able to see something that our girls would be able to watch and enjoy as well.
Asked about the film, Alysa then added: ‘In fact the film began with my my kids asking me to make a film that they would really want to share with their friends and then understanding that Girl Scout cookies was a way into looking at girlhood and coming of age, in a way that kids and adults will really relate to.’
In an Instagram post from last April promoting her Lemonada Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan wrote, ‘being an entrepreneur can start young’ alongside never-before-seen childhood photos of her selling cookies in a Girl Scouts uniform.
She previously said: ‘As a former Girl Scout myself, with my mom as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film and am proud that all our conversations and collaboration have led to Archewell Productions partnering with this award-winning team to executive produce this incredibly captivating documentary.
‘When we first viewed the early footage of this documentary, it was immediately something we wanted to be involved in.
‘The creative point of view, the edgy yet humanising tone and tenor of the directing, and the glimpse behind-the-scenes into such a nostalgic and also modern tradition of Girl Scout Cookie season are absolutely irresistible.’
Harry, 41, and Meghan are executive producers on the documentary directed by Alysa Nahmias and produced in partnership with Archewell Productions, Beautiful Stories and AJNA Films.
It showed in the family matinee category at the festival.
Meghan shared a previously unseen childhood image of herself as a child, smiling as she pokes her head around Doria, as she revealed she and Harry executive produced the movie
The movie is directed by Alysa Nahmias and premiered at Sundance. It is yet to find a distributor
The film’s description reads: ‘Captivating, candid, and full of heart, the film follows four girls ages five to twelve and their families as they navigate the annual whirlwind of selling, striving, and succeeding.
‘For these Girl Scouts, selling cookies isn’t just about Thin Mints and sisterhood – it’s a crash course in entrepreneurship. Behind the smiles and cookie boxes lie real pressure: long hours, ambitious sales goals, and the weight of high expectations.
‘Nahmias crafts a bold, vibrant, observational portrait that honors the girls’ perspectives and illuminates the emotional and intellectual stakes of their experiences.’
The royal couple were first announced to be part of the Cookie Queens film in December last year.
