Meghan Markle is unlikely look back on 2023 as one of her most positive. The duchess saw her popularity on either side of the Atlantic plummet after the release of her husband's memoir, Spare.
She became the butt of several high profile jokes (including a notorious episode of South Park) and was conspicuously absent from the coronation of her father-in-law, King Charles III.
Since splitting from the monarchy with Prince Harry in 2020 and moving to the U.S., Meghan has remained a polarizing figure, despite maintaining a loyal and vocal fanbase.
However, as the duchess entered a new year, she has ridden a wave of significant successes, from a rebrand to legal triumph and a new power podcast deal.
This has been contrasted in royal circles with the unfolding number of crises plaguing the monarchy back in Britain. Not only has the institution been hit with health issues for two of its key players (Charles and the Princess of Wales), but now Kate Middleton has become the focus of criticism for editing her first official portrait since her abdominal surgery in January.
As the royals have kept up appearances with a skeleton staff of dukes and duchesses, in addition to Queen Camilla and Prince William, around Britain, Harry and Meghan have increased their own visibility across North America and beyond.
The couple have attended charity events in Canada, entertainment panels in Texas and red carpets in Jamaica over the past three months.
Here, Newsweek looks at some of Meghan's highlights of 2024 so far, from media deals to legal wins.
Royal Rebrand
Meghan and Harry kicked off the year with a royal rebrand, unveiling a sleek new website on February 12 with all-new branding under the "Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke & Duchess of Sussex" banner.
The move tied the couple more closely to their royal titles and moved to draw a distinction between their personal brand and that of their Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions organizations.
The website also updated the biographies of both Harry and Meghan, reflecting achievements made since their split from the monarchy.
New Podcast Deal
One day after launching their new-look website, Meghan announced that she had signed a new high-profile partnership deal with the podcast company, Lemonada.
The company was announced to be working with the duchess on a new podcast series, as well as the redistribution of the Archetypes series, which first debuted in 2022 through former partner Spotify.
"I'm proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting," Meghan said in a statement.
"Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024. Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works. I'm so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."
Invictus Canada Tour
From February 14 to 16, Harry and Meghan undertook a visit to Vancouver and Whistler in Canada where they marked the one-year waypoint to the 2025 Invictus Games, Harry's main charitable output since leaving the royal family.
The duchess accompanied her husband to several meetings and activities connected with the trip, winning praise from organizers and also from fans for her winter fashion looks.
Groundbreaking Research
On March 7, new research from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and the Mom's First organizations was published, examining the way that moms are portrayed onscreen and how this conflicts with the lived experiences of American women.
The research was funded by Meghan through the Archewell Foundation.
"My past experience as an actress, and now today as a producer and mother, have amplified my belief in the critical importance of supporting women and moms, both behind the lens and in front of it," she told Vanity Fair.
"This report about the portrayal of mothers in entertainment highlights the gaps we need to fill to achieve true representation in the content we create and consume, and I'm honored to support this work through the Archewell Foundation."
A-List Panel
On March 8, International Women's Day was marked by Meghan in Austin, Texas, where she participated in a high-profile panel discussion during the South by Southwest entertainment industry conference.
Joined by actor Brooke Shields and journalist Katie Couric, Meghan's appearance was live streamed as she participated in the panel titled: "Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen."
The duchess spoke of her own experiences in the entertainment industry, as well as how she deals with online hate and harassment.
Netflix Praise
In early March, Meghan secured another entertainment industry boost as she was praised (alongside Harry) by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos at speaking engagements in the U.S.
The couple signed a partnership deal with the streaming giant in 2020 and have so far produced three docuseries with varying levels of success.
Reflecting on their biggest project, the Harry & Meghan series which broadcast in 2022, Sarandos said, per Forbes: "The documentary we did on them is still one of our most-watched documentaries of all time on Netflix and huge, particularly in the U.K., where people just devour everything about them.
"They're controversial, but that's usually a good thing. You may love them or hate them, but you're watching.
"I do think that they are also going to be very strong storytellers," he added. "With great exposure to media in terms of what people want to talk about, what they think about, and they're great at getting attention."
Legal Win
On March 12, Meghan received a legal boost, when a judge threw out of court the libel lawsuit filed against her by her half-sister, Samantha Markle, over comments made by the duchess about her upbringing in her 2020 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Judge Charlene Honeywell granted a motion to dismiss Samantha Markle's claim, stating that she had "failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or defamation-by-implication."
Not All Positives
Though events have taken a positive turn for Meghan and Harry in recent months, they have not evaded criticism entirely.
In Britain, critics have condemned Harry's decision to take part in an interview with Good Morning America during his Invictus Canada visit, in which he revealed he has considered becoming an American citizen.
Others denounced the couple's decision to rebrand their website to more closely align to their royal titles, despite leaving the monarchy. They have also faced criticism for pursuing personal ventures while members of the royal family have faced health issues and other dramas.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
