As Meghan Markle gears up for her much-anticipated visit to Australia, speculation abounds regarding the true purpose of her trip. The Duchess of Sussex is scheduled to headline the inaugural Her Best Life Retreat, an event orchestrated by Besties, the company co-founded by former radio personality Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her manager, Gemma O’Neill.

While the retreat promises an ‘ultimate girls weekend’, whispers suggest that Meghan’s visit might have a dual purpose: boosting the profile of Soho House. This elite, members-only social club, established in London in 1995, caters to the creative elite with its opulent spaces designed for working, dining, and socialising.

Since its inception, Soho House has expanded globally, boasting 48 locations. The first Australian Soho House is set to open in Sydney in 2026, sparking conjecture that Meghan’s visit might be linked to promoting this forthcoming venture.

Soho House is an exclusive, members-only social club that was founded in London in 1995. 

Catering to the creative elite, the upscale club provides swanky spaces for working, dining and socialising.

Its popularity has seen 48 Soho Houses pop up around the world, with its first Australian location set to open in Sydney in 2026.

With Meghan Markle’s Australian visit just around the corner, rumours are swirling about the real reason for the trip

Markle is set to be the headline guest at the inaugural Her Best Life Retreat, organised by the events company Besties, founded by former radio queen Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and her manager Gemma O’Neill

While there is no official opening date for the five-level venue in Darlinghurst, some internet commenters have raised eyebrows at the timing of Meghan’s visit.

One commenter took to Reddit to point out that aside from organising the retreat, O’Neill is also involved in the Soho House Sydney project.

‘O’Neill isn’t just some random podcast host fangirling over Harry’s SoHo rental. She’s on the Soho House Sydney advisory committee, which means this Girls Weekend retreat is Soho House business disguised as women’s empowerment,’ they wrote.

‘Markus arranging it from Madame’s house isn’t friendship. This seems to be his job. He is the Soho House consultant, and he is coordinating promotion for their Sydney opening.’

Another added that while the Sydney venue was unlikely to be ready in time for Meghan’s visit, it was a perfect opportunity to promote the swanky venue.

‘It doesn’t look like it will be open when they are there. I think it’s either that a part of it is ready (but that’s not usually how they roll), or they are doing early recruiting and promoting to recover some cost,’ another Redditor wrote.

A third suggested that the Her Best Life Retreat could be used as a ‘recruitment’ tool for Soho House.

‘Do you think they’ll try to recruit members from the women’s retreat?’ they asked, to which another replied: ‘Yes, I think so. I commented above that Twerkle may have negotiated a commission for every new member from the retreat who may sign up.’

However, some are claiming that the ‘ultimate girls weekend’ is secondary to the real reason for her Australia visit – drumming up business for Soho House

Soho House is an exclusive, members only social club that was founded in London in 1995. Catering to the creative elite, the upscale club provides swanky spaces for working, dining and socialising

Its popularity has seen 46 Soho Houses pop up around the world with it’s first Australian location set to open in Sydney in 2026

It could be a lucrative side-hustle for Meghan, with memberships to Soho House Sydney reportedly costing $2,285 per year for under-27s, and $4,750 for people 27 and older.

The rumours didn’t stop there, either, with a Daily Mail reader suggesting similar, while commenting on a recent story about Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.

‘Markle has always worked for Soho House and still does,’ they wrote.

‘She is actually really coming to Australia to attend the opening of a new Soho House facility with Markus Anderson,’ they claimed. ‘Terrible.’ 

Meghan’s connection with Soho House is long-standing, with the duchess having her first date with Prince Harry at the company’s London Townhouse back in 2016.

She is also a long-time friend of Soho House senior executive Markus Anderson, who reportedly assisted in arranging the couple’s first date.

Anderson also had a hand in facilitating Meghan’s Down Under visit.

Gemma O’Neill said she initially considered rejecting his idea to have Meghan meet 300 women gathering for a weekend focused on connection, wellbeing and personal development, because she didn’t consider herself worthy.

‘O’Neill isn’t just some random podcast host fangirling over Harry’s SoHo rental. She’s on the Soho House Sydney advisory committee, which means this Girls Weekend retreat is Soho House business disguised as women’s empowerment,’ one person wrote on Reddit 

‘Do you think they’ll try to recruit members from the women’s retreat?’ another asked, to which another replied: ‘Yes, I think so. I commented above that Twerkle May have negotiated a commission for every new member from the retreat who may sign up’

She said: ‘Markus messaged me because he was at Meghan’s house. Markus is also very close friends to Meghan and has been for many years, long before she was married, and they have a beautiful friendship too’.

And she has concluded that Markus is a ‘top-notch human’, so Meghan must be too.

 ‘I’ve always felt protective that my friend Markus is the bee’s knees, he’s a top-notch human. The first person to be there, check on you,’ she said. 

‘I knew that Markus wouldn’t be so close or best friends with someone who wasn’t also the same,’ she said.

Meanwhile, the Her Best Life Retreat – thus far the only official engagement on Meghan’s itinerary – is billed as a three-day wellness and empowerment experience for women.

Empowerment certainly comes at a price, with ticket prices ranging from $2,699 to $3,199 per person.

Those who purchased VIP tickets for $3,199 will be privy to a ‘group table photo’ with the duchess and seats in the front two rows for the ‘gala dinner’. 

The April 17 to 19 event is anticipated to bring in nearly $1 million in ticket revenue.

While organisers are claiming the pricey event has already sold out, beneath the surface, cracks are showing.

Meghan’s connection with Soho House is long-standing, with the Duchess of Sussex having her first date with Prince Harry at Soho House’s London Townhouse back in 2016

She is also a long-time friend of Soho House senior executive Markus Anderson who reportedly assisted in arranging the couple’s first date. Anderson also had a hand in facilitating Markle’s Down Under visit

Entrepreneur Gemma O’Neill, who is organising the retreat via her company Besties, has a chequered history with large-scale events. 

In 2023, Besties was set to host a sold-out luxury summit at Kokomo Private Island in Fiji, boasting a celebrity speaker line-up including comedian Celeste Barber and fashion designer Pip Edwards. 

Tickets for that event started at $9,000 for a shared room and $18,000 for a solo booking, with guests expected to arrange their own travel to the island. 

However, the retreat was cancelled weeks before it was due to take place, leaving many disappointed.