Meghan Markle podcast release raises eyebrows at Duchess' true intentions

Meghan Markle has landed in trouble over the timings of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.

The first episode, featuring Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, aired on April 8, the same day as King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Italy and Prince Harry’s return to the UK for a court case.

While some saw this overlap as a strategic choice, PR expert Renae Smith suggested the backlash was unnecessary.

She pointed out that Meghan’s target audience is different from royal watchers, adding that the Duchess of Sussex is often criticised for decisions she did not take intentionally.

"I don’t think it was a particularly strategic move in terms of trying to upstage anyone. I don’t think it will affect her listenership either way,” she told The Express.

The expert added, "If you do a demographic breakdown, there’s very little crossover between people who are tuning in to royal tours and those subscribing to Meghan’s content.

"I don’t imagine anyone who was interested in Charles and Camilla’s Italy visit was ever going to hit play on her podcast, so it’s unlikely this timing will hurt her audience.

"The overlap with Harry returning to the UK for his security appeal is perhaps a little more odd, but again, I don’t think Meghan operates with that level of external awareness, even when it comes to her husband."