Meghan Markle ‘can’t do right for wrong’ as ‘Sussex formula’ called in doubt

was criticised over her timing as a royal commentator said that the duchess “can’t do right for wrong”.

The Duchess of Sussex found herself at the centre of discussions yet again after she and husband, , paid a visit to a by the latest devastating fires in the area.

She was also questioned over whether it was her decision to postpone the release of her show – originally due to air tomorrow – until March.

actress Justine Bateman and accused them of “touring the damage” for a “repulsive photo-op”. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have declined to comment.

But royal historian Tessa Dunlop said that no matter what the Sussexes do, they will end up getting scrutinised as she called out Meghan on her timing.

She wrote for the : “Once more, the Sussexes are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Over the weekend Harry and Meghan joined a host of A-listers publicly supporting relief efforts against the horrors of Los Angeles’s wildfires.

“To no avail, their visit has met with predictable vitriol.

“No matter that Meghan grew up in Los Angeles and only lives 90 miles away in Santa Barbara, ‘Princess Markle’ was castigated for being no better than an “ambulance chaser” in a city where she doesn’t “live”. Ouch.”

Ms Dunlop noted that despite a flock of A-listers rushing to LA for the same cause, including Stone, Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner and Charli XCX, it was Harry and Meghan who were “singled out for condemnation”.

She wrote: “Which begs the question, what is it about Meghan (Harry was little more than a spare thumb in the footage) that proves so triggering? Afterall, in the midst of this Tinseltown disaster, let’s not pretend that most famous-do-gooders aren’t on the hunt for positive PR and image enhancement.”

The commentator added that even Meghan’s postponement of her new show was met with “cynicism” despite her statement stressing the delay was to “focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California”.

Ms Dunlop criticised the duchess for her timing and said that “getting it wrong is her special skill” after listing some alleged timing mishaps like the release of her brand, American Riviera Orchard’s trailer that “eclipsed” Harry and William’s appearance at the Diana awards last year and her jam jars being sent out around the same time as the announcement about Princess Kate’s appearance at Trooping the Colour, despite her cancer diagnosis, last June.

She said: “It appears the actor-cum-duchess can’t do right for wrong. And to trawl back, beyond the recent fire-disaster, is to be reminded that it was ever thus. Timing is apparently not Meghan’s strongpoint, getting it wrong is her special skill.”

The royal historian noted that negative reaction to Harry and Meghan’s various ventures comes from the fact that they chose to exit royal life while still maintaining a “life of service” but that formula does not do any favours to the duchess’s image.

She explained: “Harry and Meghan very publicly exited the royal stage to go it alone in 2020. Harry was adamant they would continue to serve, insisting that “a life of service” did not depend on royal handouts.

“Crucially, the Sussex-formula involved making enough money to fund a celebrity Montecito lifestyle while maintaining their philanthropic identity, channelled through the Archewell Foundation and various tours, both overseas and now in the fire stricken districts of LA.

“It is this hybrid identity that trips up Duchess Meghan’s efforts at altruism. First and foremost, she is an actor, a respectfully ambitious woman who made it in a tough industry on her own. That primary image is now tempered by an apparent broader ‘queenly’ desire to be seen as something bigger, more profound: a philanthropic influencer, a community player. And it doesn’t wash.”