Tina Brown’s full article on Meghan Markle reveals a scathing critique delivered through witty, acerbic prose. Here are the key elements of her analysis and is she out of touch? Is it time for her to retire?

On Meghan’s Netflix Show “With Love, Meghan”:

• Brown mocks the show’s opening scene featuring Meghan in beekeeping attire, suggesting inauthenticity by questioning whether the apiarist or even the house shown is actually hers.
• She characterizes the content as overly produced and focused on “fake perfection,” featuring elaborate meal preparations and bath products.
• Brown suggests the show is culturally tone-deaf, arriving at a time when authenticity (represented by figures like Pamela Anderson “with her proudly wan bare face”) is more valued than curated perfection.

On Meghan’s Trajectory:

• Brown acknowledges Meghan’s initial promise as “the great youth and diversity connector the House of Windsor sorely needed,” even noting that she once eclipsed Kate Middleton.
• She highlights the Grenfell Tower cookbook project as Meghan’s one authentic success that combined her lifestyle interests with meaningful charity work.
• Brown traces Meghan’s decline from this potential to what she sees as misguided commercial ventures and an inauthentic public persona.

Strategic Mistakes According to Brown:

• Impatience: Brown argues Meghan should have waited out Queen Elizabeth’s final years for better positioning in the royal hierarchy.
• Poor business decisions: Launching products without proper trademark research and choosing commercial deals over royal duties.
• Giving away valuable content: Sharing revelations with Oprah for free that should have been saved for their Netflix deal.
• Failure to deliver on commercial contracts: Not producing sufficient content for their various media deals.

Cultural Commentary:

• Brown situates Meghan’s approach against the backdrop of “Trump’s America,” describing it as “a foulmouthed and disheveled cultural place” that rejects Meghan’s polished aesthetic.
• She contrasts Meghan with Martha Stewart, who rehabilitated her image through self-deprecation rather than perfection.
• Brown characterizes Meghan as “masquerading as an influencer” but actually being “the ultimate follower,” suggesting she lacks authenticity and innovation.

Brown’s Alternative Vision:

• Brown sarcastically suggests that a reality show featuring the couple’s actual struggles would have been more compelling and might have even endeared them to the British public.
• She mocks Meghan’s attempt to return to her pre-royal lifestyle brand identity, describing it as wanting to “expunge all the botched recent history.”

The article represents a particular perspective on the Sussex saga that focuses on missed opportunities and strategic missteps, delivered with Brown’s signature cutting wit and insider knowledge of both media and royal worlds. Her criticism is particularly focused on what she perceives as a gap between Meghan’s presented image and the cultural moment, suggesting that Meghan’s greatest failure is a lack of authenticity and self-awareness.