Failed Jams and Flop Shows: Is Meghan Markle's California Dream Finally Over?

Royal insiders in London and Los Angeles are openly asking whether Meghan Markle's California dream is beginning to unravel, with one commentator claiming the Duchess of Sussex is quietly exploring a path back to royal life after a string of underperforming projects.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped back from frontline royal duties in 2020, moved to California and began building a portfolio of media and lifestyle ventures on their own terms. From Netflix series to podcast deals and, more recently, her 'As Ever' jam and lifestyle line, the plan was clear: Meghan Markle as a standalone global brand, no palace required. Four years on, the results look mixed.

Meghan's California Brand

Royal podcaster and TalkTV regular Mark Dolan told the Daily Express's Daily Expresso show that, in his view, those solo ambitions have stalled.

'It's my understanding that Meghan has realised that her solo projects aren't working, that Meghan as this amazing independent brand is not successful,' he said, citing conversations with unnamed royal insiders.

Dolan argued that the couple's recent four day tour of Australia was seen behind the scenes as more than a routine goodwill trip. He claimed insiders believed it was 'almost a trial run', a way of testing whether Meghan and Harry could slip back into the rhythms of royal style engagements after years on the outside.

'My royal insiders are telling me that she's all out now to get back to the UK to reconnect with King Charles and to effectively be Princess Meghan again. That's what Australia was about, dipping their toe back in that water,' he said.

None of that has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or by the Sussexes' representatives. Still, the backdrop Dolan points to is real enough: Meghan's much trailed ventures have produced uneven results.

Her As Ever branded jams and preserves have generated headlines and, according to the report, continue to sell out when they drop. The wider media slate looks less convincing. Variety confirmed that her Netflix series With Love, Meghan will not return for a third season. The second series was widely described as a flop, with reports suggesting it failed to crack even the top 1,000 most watched programmes on the platform, although Netflix has allowed the show to continue in the form of seasonal specials.

For a couple whose early streaming deals were presented as game changing, that is a sobering comedown. It also sharpens the question of what, exactly, still makes Meghan a sell.

The Pull Of Royal Status

If Dolan is right that Meghan Markle is weighing some kind of return to the royal fold, it would not come entirely out of nowhere. Even at the height of the Sussexes' criticism of 'the institution', she has often appeared reluctant to let go of the status and symbolism that come with royal rank.

In her own Netflix series, Meghan gently corrected her friend, Hollywood writer Mindy Kaling, when Kaling referred to her as 'Meghan Markle'. Meghan cut in to say: 'You know I'm Sussex now.'

The moment baffled some viewers, who pointed out that Sussex is a title, not a surname. On one level, it was a throwaway remark. On another, it hinted at someone who still sees herself first through the lens of royal identity, not simply as a Californian entrepreneur.

A Harper's Bazaar cover story suggested much the same in more formal settings. Writer Kaitlyn Greenidge described how Meghan's arrival was announced with full titles even in relatively private circumstances.

'A golf cart pulls up, gravel crunching under its tyres. "The Duchess of Sussex," someone announces. Meghan steps out in wide leg trousers, a silk blouse, and pavé diamond studs by Ukrainian brand Guzema,' Greenidge wrote.

During a later meeting at the house, the choreography was repeated on a smaller scale.

'When I enter, the house manager announces, "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex," even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house,' Greenidge recalled.

These are small details, but they cut against the idea that Meghan has been trying to shed royal identity. If anything, they suggest she and those around her are still keen to foreground it, whether in a Netflix kitchen or a Montecito hallway.

Can She Really Go Back?

The suggestion that Meghan Markle now wants to be a princess again is Dolan's, not hers. But it resonates because the California chapter has not delivered the clean, triumphant reinvention her supporters once imagined.

The move did give Meghan and Harry freedom from palace discipline and allowed them to speak openly about their grievances. It also stripped away the built in machinery of royal tours, patronages and state occasions that once guaranteed them global attention. Rebuilding that from scratch in a crowded American media market has proved harder than it looked from Windsor.

Whether there is any realistic route back into royal life is another matter. The article offers no evidence of formal talks with the King or the Palace, only claims from commentators and unnamed insiders. There is no public sign that senior royals are preparing the ground for a Sussex return, let alone a restoration of official duties.

Still, the tension is obvious. Meghan Markle's California project was built on the idea that she no longer needed the crown. The more those ventures falter, the more valuable that abandoned crown begins to look.