Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are facing renewed questions about their standing in Hollywood after reports emerged that several high-profile celebrity relationships have cooled amid concerns the Duchess of Sussex may be leveraging famous connections to support her growing lifestyle business empire.
The claims, published by the Daily Mail and amplified through commentary from journalist Paula Froelich, paint a picture of a couple increasingly isolated inside the elite circles they once appeared to dominate after leaving the Royal Family in 2020.
Froelich alleged that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had developed a reputation in Los Angeles for being "very name-droppy" as they attempted to transform their Montecito-based brand into a profitable post-royal business operation.
"No one wants to hang out with Meghan," Froelich told the Daily Mail, claiming some celebrities fear their names or relationships could become indirectly tied to commercial promotion. "Lots of reasons, but she might sell clothes while using their name," she added.
None of the celebrities referenced in the reports - including George Clooney, Amal Clooney, David Beckham or Oprah Winfrey - has publicly commented on the allegations. There is also no independent evidence confirming that any specific friendship has formally ended.
Still, the reports arrive during a difficult commercial period for the Sussexes, whose efforts to build a media and lifestyle empire outside the monarchy have produced uneven results despite blockbuster publicity.
After stepping down as working royals and relocating to California, Meghan and Harry secured a series of lucrative deals, most notably a reported $100 million agreement with Netflix. The partnership initially positioned the couple as major content creators capable of producing documentaries, scripted programming and lifestyle projects for global audiences.
But several of those projects struggled to maintain momentum.
Industry speculation intensified this year after reports suggested Netflix had scaled back parts of the agreement following disappointing performance from projects including Heart of Invictus and Polo. Meghan's lifestyle and cooking series, With Love, Meghan, was also reportedly canceled after two seasons.
Neither Netflix nor the Sussexes have publicly detailed changes to the arrangement, leaving much of the discussion driven by anonymous industry sources and tabloid reporting.
At the center of Meghan's current business ambitions is As Ever, her lifestyle brand focused on home goods, kitchen products, preserves and candles. The company places Meghan squarely inside the celebrity lifestyle market, where image, exclusivity and social connections often function as part of the product itself.
That overlap between friendship and branding is precisely what critics claim has become sensitive in Hollywood circles.
A separate source quoted by Page Six earlier this month alleged Meghan is now "basically the breadwinner" of the household and suggested the couple requires at least $6 million annually to maintain their Montecito lifestyle, including security, staffing and estate-related costs. Those financial figures have not been independently verified by Prince Harry or Meghan Markle.
The broader issue increasingly appears tied to public image as much as finances.
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News that the Sussexes' long-running attempt to reposition themselves as media entrepreneurs and global advocates has generated growing fatigue among parts of the public.
"In the years following their highly publicized exit from the royal family in 2020, the couple made a series of decisions that directly altered the public sentiment and perception," Eldridge said.
He pointed specifically to the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry's memoir Spare, and what he described as a "perpetual cycle of 'victim marketing.'"
According to Eldridge, the result has been increasingly polarized public opinion, with some audiences remaining loyal while others have "even worse, lose interest altogether."
