Meghan Markle’s As Ever: Was It Worth the Pain of Controversy?

There’s something deeply fascinating about a woman who reinvents herself in front of the world and being unapologetic for her vision.

Before the world knew Meghan Markle as the Duchess of Sussex, we already already loved her for her talent. As a lead actress on the hit show Suits, she earned fame, respect and a high income. Off-camera, she was building a quiet legacy as a humanitarian, working with the UN, advocating for gender equality and running a lifestyle blog that inspired many of us. Meghan had found her voice long before she met Prince Harry. She was very successful on her own terms. But as a rule, women pay a higher price for breaking the rules.

It began with a blind date. Not the kind where you awkwardly sip coffee at a quiet café or nervously check your phone between glances. No, this one was whispered into history. A friend set her up with a prince. She said yes. The rest, as the world knows all too well, is far from a fairy-tale.

Meghan Markle wasn’t looking for a crown. She had one of her own—crafted not from royal lineage but from grit and talent. As a woman, she’d found herself through self-discovery, heartbreak and hard work. Then came that fated date. One dinner. One prince. One shift in destiny.

At first, the story felt like magic: a successful, biracial American woman stepping into one of the most traditional institutions on earth. It symbolized change, inclusion, hope. But slowly, the magic curdled. The headlines grew sharp. The woman once admired for her independence and charm was recast as controversial, divisive, even dangerous.

Suddenly, she wasn’t Meghan, the actress and advocate. She was “Duchess Difficult.” “Too opinionated.” Her self-perception, once rooted in agency and purpose, was publicly distorted by narratives she couldn’t control.

Meghan’s confidence was reframed as arrogance. Her independence was spun as rebellion. The very qualities that had brought her success were suddenly seen as threatening within the traditional structure of royalty. She was no longer just Meghan. She became a symbol, a headline, a controversy. And that brings us to the uncomfortable, but important question: Was it worth it?

From the outside, it’s easy to say no. The relentless press intrusion, the public criticism, the drama with the Royal Family, it all came with a heavy emotional toll, even for those witnessing it all. Meghan spoke openly about her mental health struggles during that time and the pain was palpable. This wasn’t the dream many had imagined.

But there’s a deeper layer to this story. Meghan didn’t enter the Royal Family looking to be “saved.”

She was already standing tall in her own light. She was expected to shrink. Nobody asked her if she could soften her voice, to fit a mold. Naturally, she chose a different path. She and Harry stepped away. Not for peace and quiet, as the tabloids suggested, but for the freedom to choose a life of their own. Since leaving their royal roles, Meghan and Harry have built a life on their own terms. Through Archewell, they’ve launched media projects, supported mental health initiatives and championed voices often left in the margins. Meghan has written a bestselling children’s book, spoken out on social justice issues and continued to tell stories that matter.

She may have walked away from a royal role, but she reclaimed something far more valuable: her own agency.

Meghan Markle, the woman the world has watched fall in love, fall apart and rise again, has launched a new lifestyle brand called As Ever. And somehow, it doesn’t feel like a brand at all. It feels like a love letter. Creating simple moments and new memories you want to hold on to.

I’ll be honest—when I first heard Meghan was returning to the lifestyle space, I expected something polished, maybe even distant. But As Ever is nothing like that. It’s warm. It’s textured. It feels like it was made by someone who’s been through the storm and knows what it means to find beauty in the little things again.

There’s a jar of jam in the debut collection—raspberry, in a repurposable pot that begs to live a second life on your kitchen shelf. There’s lemon ginger tea, the kind you’d make when someone you love has had a hard day. And then there are the quiet touches: honeycomb in wildflower honey, shortbread that tastes like childhood, crêpe mix for a Sunday morning when you’re not rushing anywhere. It’s not about grandeur—it’s about grace. And maybe, about getting back to what really matters.

It reminded me of The Tig, her old blog, the one she had long before titles, tabloids, and palace corridors. That space was personal, poetic, and full of possibility. As Ever carries that same heartbeat. Only now, it carries the weight of everything she’s lived through. It’s not curated perfection. It’s curated inner peace.

The image of two hummingbirds and a palm tree in the logo, feels like a love note to Montecito, to California mornings and barefoot afternoons. It’s a nod to the sanctuary she’s built with Harry and their children, far from the royal traditions she walked away from.

Meghan isn’t just creating products. She’s creating a feeling. One that says, “You can slow down. You can light a candle. You can make something beautiful, even if the world outside is loud and cruel.”

It struck me that this is what Meghan does best—not perform, not convince—but quietly insist that there’s another way to live. A softer way. A more intentional way. A way where you don’t need permission to be exactly who you are.

As Ever feels like the part of her story we didn’t get to see. The part that happened after the headlines, after the heartbreak, after the silence. It’s the continuation of a life lived with courage, now poured gently into cups of tea, into jars of jam, into handmade things that make a home feel like one.

There’s no shouting in this launch. Just a whisper that says, As ever, I’m still here. Still creating. Still loving the details. And for those of us trying to do the same in our own quiet ways, that feels like a kind of kinship.

Maybe it’s not just a brand. Maybe it’s a reminder. That we can always begin again. That we can always choose softness. That even after the world has tried to write your story for you, you still get to sign your name at the end.

The public perception of Meghan Markle is still divided. Some see her as defiant, others as courageous. But what’s clear is this: she has never stopped being herself. And in a world that often demands women choose between likability and authenticity, Meghan has chosen the latter—knowing full well the cost.

So, was it worth it?

If “worth” is measured in public approval, maybe not. But if it’s measured in being yourself, choosing freedom and purpose, then yes, perhaps it was.

In the end, Meghan Markle’s story isn’t just about royalty, race, or rebellion. It’s about resilience. It’s about a woman who dared to be more than a headline, more than a role, more than a title. And maybe, just maybe, that’s where the real fairy-tale begins.

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