Fury as Meghan Markle plugs £525 coat she wore to emotional children's memorial
Despite pulling out of a keynote speech in Brussels as she was "not strong enough," the Duchess of Sussex still shared links to a designer coat online.
Meghan Markle has been fiercely criticised for promoting her $695 (£525) designer coat after wearing it to a children's online safety event in Brussels. The Duchess of Sussex, 45, attended the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament alongside Prince Harry, 42, on Tuesday (November 10). While Meghan backed out of delivering a planned keynote speech – reportedly telling insiders she was "not strong enough emotionally" to speak publicly – critics noted she still made sure fans knew exactly where to buy her outfit. Making her first public appearance since her father Thomas Markle Snr's arrest, Meghan walked the red carpet holding Harry's hand while wearing a long black wrap coat featuring an oversized collar and cinched waist belt.
Shortly after the appearance, the look appeared on the former Suits actress's official OneOff profile, identifying the garment as a Soia & Kyo Britta-U Wool Wrap Coat retailing for £525, reported RadarOnline. Meghan joined the AI-powered fashion discovery platform as both an investor and a featured participant earlier this year, ahead of the couple's April trip to Australia, where she catalogued every outfit she wore.
Through her shopping profile, the Duchess stands to earn an affiliate commission – reportedly between 10 and 25% – whenever fans purchase items via her links. Royal watchers and social media users were quick to slam the move as tone-deaf, given the sombre nature of the Brussels event, which honoured children who took their own lives following online bullying.
Writing on Reddit, one furious critic fumed: "Hours after a sobering appearance in the name of children lost to social media, Meghan Markle forgets the kids and merches her clothing online." Another wrote: "It's so egregious how they don't donate money to the causes they support, but instead use those causes to make money for themselves as affiliate marketers."
A third pointed directly to her reason for skipping the speech, adding: "Strong enough to post the outfit to her shopping app..."
Others accused the Duchess of failing to learn from past backlash, pointing to a similar controversy earlier this year during her and Harry's trip to Australia. In April, Meghan sparked outrage after listing the complete six-piece breakdown of her £1,500 outfit on OneOff following a sombre visit to meet first responders and members of the Jewish community affected by the December 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack in Sydney.
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At the time, critics accused her of "cashing in on terror" after she linked her £348 ($460) Matteau Classic Stripe Shirt, £105 ($139) Rolla's Sailor Jeans, £506 ($670) La Femme Ange sweater, and £225 ($298) Freda Salvador Eda sneakers, alongside £150 ($198) Brochu Walker Cassis sunglasses and £170 ($225) Essén Drop Earrings.
The Express has approached representatives for the Duchess of Sussex for comment.
The latest PR row also coincided with escalating legal trouble for her estranged father, Thomas Markle Snr, who was reportedly hauled back into custody in Florida on the same day as the Brussels event after allegedly cutting off his court-ordered ankle monitor. He had been placed on strict house arrest as a condition of his bond following his November 6 arrest on charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. The scandal first erupted last month after Meghan admitted she had been shown a 2018 letter sent to British authorities accusing her father of travelling overseas to abuse minors, prompting critics to question why she had not pushed for a full investigation at the time.
As the Sussexes arrived at the European Parliament on Tuesday, journalists shouted questions asking how she was feeling and coping. According to InStyle, Meghan did not look toward the press or react, instead walking past while speaking with one of her hosts.
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