Meghan Markle’s ARO lifestyle brand has been mocked by critics and the Duchess of Sussex’s favourite magazine, The Cut, has now turned on her too with a brutal review of her Netflix show Polo

A magazine once favoured by Meghan Markle has seemingly turned against the Duchess of Sussex with a very scathing review.

The harsh article in The Cut was titled ‘Harry and Meghan’s Projects Can’t Stop Flopping’.

Pop culture news and entertainment writer Danielle Cohen commented on the couple’s “tortured attempts to launch a successful Stateside endeavour” which she wrote “continued this week” with the release of Polo on Netflix. The five-part series about Prince Harry’s favourite sport has been met with poor reviews, leading Cohen to predict: “Seems like this one is bound for the same fate as Markle’s beleaguered jam company.”

This critique comes shortly after The Cut highlighted the struggles faced by Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard “lifestyle brand”, which launched by gifting jars of strawberry jam to celebrities such as Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen.

This was followed by allegations that employees were leaving the new company, coupled with a trademark dispute from US food and gift company Harry and David, which sells Royal Riviera Pears. Olivia Craighead, who reports on pop culture and celebrity, wrote: “For Markle’s sake, I hope the next big story about ARO has the headline ‘Meghan Markle finally launches jam, ‘The best I’ve ever had,’ says King Charles.’ Maybe we’ll get a Christmas miracle.”

The CUT magazine cover featuring Meghan Markle ( 
Image:
Campbell Addy / The Cut)
The negative coverage is significant given that The Cut, part of liberal New York Magazine, famously published a cover interview with the 43-year-old Duchess in August 2022, where she made derogatory comments about other members of the Royal family, reports the Scottish Daily Express.

Meghan Markle has openly expressed that she and Prince Harry were “happy” to leave the UK, disrupting the Royal hierarchy “upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy… just by existing”. In his conversation with the magazine, Harry hinted at the challenges within the family, saying some relatives “aren’t able to work and live together”.

The feature, titled ‘Meghan Markle on Her New Life in California’, showcased a series of photographs by Campbell Addy. Meghan later confessed to being “too trusting” and “too open” during her interview with The Cut, seemingly criticising the publication and interviewer Allison P Davis. The magazine also caused controversy by labelling King Charles as a “big, fussy baby and a jerk” regarding his conduct at his mother’s funeral and accused him of “mundane cruelty” towards Princess Diana.

Notably, following the Queen’s passing, The Cut published an incendiary piece headlined: ‘I Won’t Cry Over the Death of a Violent Oppressor.”