Meghan to appear at £1,400 per person 'girls' weekend' in Australia

The Duchess of Sussex is set to appear at a women-only weekend retreat in Sydney, with tickets starting at A$2,699 (£1,400) per person.

The three-day event will take place during Meghan and the Duke of Sussex's trip to Australia in April, seven years after their first visit when they were still senior members of the Royal Family.

Touted as "a girls' weekend like no other", Meghan will speak at a gala dinner, with VIP ticket holders offered front-row seats and a group photo with the duchess.

It comes days after Meghan's lifestyle brand, As ever, announced it had ended its partnership with streaming giant Netflix.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a contract with Netflix in 2020 to produce TV and films for the platform, believed to be worth about $100m (£75m).

Meghan's lifestyle and cookery show - With Love, Meghan - ran for two series and a Christmas special but did not perform well with audiences.

The 300-person Sydney retreat has been organised by the Her Best Life podcast, founded by Gemma O'Neill and well-known Australian celebrity Jackie "O" Henderson.

O'Neill - a former staffer and producer for actress Nicole Kidman - confirmed the event on Wednesday on the podcast, which she now presents by herself after Henderson stepped back as a co-host last month.

O'Neill told listeners that Meghan would be the event's special guest speaker, adding that the duchess "really loves what our community is about which is women trying to grow" and "be their best selves".

The Q&A with Meghan will take the format of a "fireside chat," she said.

Described as an "unforgettable weekend for women ready to reconnect, recharge and have some serious fun", the event will be held at a five-star hotel at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Activities include talks by a psychologist, yoga, sound healing, a disco and a meditation and manifestation session.

VIP tickets cost about A$3,200 (£1,700) per person.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said their visit to Australia next month will be for "private, business and philanthropic engagements".

Since the couple's last Australian visit in 2018, much has changed for Meghan and Prince Harry.

Their 16-day tour in October that year was the then-newly married royal couple's first major overseas trip. Hours earlier, Kensington Palace had announced Meghan was pregnant.

Observers deemed the Australia tour a huge success as the pair rode a wave of popularity.

They visited Bondi Beach, took a boat ride on Sydney Harbour and Prince Harry climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge with then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

In 2020, the couple stepped down as working royals and moved to the US, amid family tensions and concerns over intense media scrutiny.

Last year, Prince Harry spoke about his strained relationship with his father, King Charles, and how he would "love a reconciliation" with the Royal Family.