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Meghan Markle's luxury Australia retreat may just prove to be her biggest mistake yet. The "Her Best Life Retreat" (vom) will be welcoming up to 300 women for the "ultimate girls' weekend" at the InterContinental at Sydney's Coogee Beach in April. The retreat, which consists of a two-night stay, wellness activities and speaker sessions, is setting guests back a whopping £1,705 for VIP tickets and an "early bird special" for £1,400. It is worth mentioning that this does not include your own room, as you will still need to share with a stranger for the two nights.

Who on earth wouldn't want to spend the equivalent of a week's all-inclusive in Spain for a family of four to spend a night with Meghan? Well, it seems plenty of people.

Meghan has been hit with yet more backlash after the latest announcement, withfans outraged that they were being asked for such an extortionate amount and still had to bunk up with a random woman. Nauseatingly, the lucky VIPs will also be treated to a "group table photo with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex", as well as be allowed to sit in the front two rows for the gala dinner. What a treat. Has Meghan completely lost all grasp of what counts as a huge expense for ordinary people? She thinks it's acceptable to charge an extra £300 per person just to be in her presence.

For a very small group of celebrities, they do have the star power in that they could organise an event like this, and people would come willingly. But the major difference is they wouldn't want to, purely for the reason that this kind of event comes across as not only an ego trip, but also extremely out of touch with the ordinary, working-class people of Australia.

Meghan has always seemed to struggle getting the balance right between living a luxurious lifestyle and being humble and relatable. Her Netflix series missed the mark with viewers, so her business future always hinged on her next move, and this does not seem like the right one.

A celebrity PR expert, who also works with high-end hotels with celebrity clients, Chad Teixeira, told Express.co.uk: "This isn't the first time Meghan has faced this kind of reaction, and she's been called 'out of touch' before. We saw similar criticism around her Netflix series, where the conversation quickly shifted from storytelling to tone, with people questioning whether it felt relatable or a bit removed from reality as many viewers felt her perfect kids parties and homemade honey just wasn't accessible. When that narrative is already there, moments like this retreat pricing only amplify it and add to the idea that she's too far removed from reality.

"What's happening here is a pattern for Meghan. The second the price becomes the headline, you lose control of the story. Instead of talking about the experience, the transformation, or the intent behind it, people are focusing on whether it feels excessive or out of touch and Meghan's current headlines will be more on how she has gone too far and is too high end, and less on the retreat.

To be clear, luxury itself isn't the issue. People are happy to spend on high end wellness, especially now, but they need to feel the value. If it looks, at a glance, like yoga, a few talks and a beautiful location, people start asking what they're actually buying into. Is it genuinely world-class, or is it access to a name? That's where scepticism creeps in."

"There's a fine line Meghan is walking here between aspirational and relatable, and it's not an easy one. The challenge is that if you don't clearly show what sits behind the price point, people will fill in the gaps themselves, and they rarely do that generously."

It doesn't help that the company behind the retreat is embroiled in huge financial difficulties, with the talent management company in debt of over half a million Australian dollars.

Gemmie Agency entered voluntary liquidation in November, leaving the business owing $543,548 (£289,236) to the Australian Taxation Office alongside a further $3,300 (£1,756) to accountancy firm Jack Lawrence Accountants and Advisors.

The Duchess of Sussex has confirmed she still plans to appear at the retreat, but let's face it, it's not a good look, especially when she is the one putting her name to it. If they have any sense, they'll start offering discounted prices and make it more bang for buck for people, and fast, or Meghan risks damaging her brand for good.

Chad continued: "From a reputation point of view, this kind of backlash doesn't define a brand overnight, but it does reinforce an existing perception.

"And in Meghan's case, where she's already navigating that 'relatable versus elite' tension, it can tip things further towards 'out of touch' quite quickly. That's a much harder narrative to shift once it sticks."