Duchess of Sussex to headline Her Best Life podcast retreat in Sydney
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will preside over the weekend retreat she will host. Best Life Podcast founded by Gemma O’Neill and Jackie “O” Henderson in April.
The event will take place during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to Australia, described by their office as “a series of private, commercial and charitable events”.
The engagement was confirmed as follows: Best Life podcast host O’Neill on Wednesday and after several local news outlets speculated about the emergence of the rumors. Henderson was co-hosting the show with O’Neill until he announced he would be “stepping away” from the podcast in an episode that aired on February 3.
The event will be held in Sydney from April 17-19, with “early bird” tickets available starting at $2699 (twin shares). Meghan will be the main guest speaker at the event. O’Neill confirmed on Wednesday’s episode that Henderson would not be joining him to interview the duchess.
Henderson is currently taking legal action in a separate matter after the owners of KIIS FM terminated his $10 million-a-year contract and the radio presenter announced he had not resigned from his show with Kyle Sandilands. He released a statement through his manager O’Neill last week, saying: “I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the prospect of the show coming to an end. It’s a shock to me, as it is to everyone else.”
“The current media narrative does not reflect what actually happened and it is truly heartbreaking to see how this incident unfolded. At this stage I cannot say anything further as I am dealing with the matter through the appropriate legal channels.”
Harry and Meghan’s visit is the couple’s first visit to Australia since 2018. They will also visit Sydney and Melbourne during the trip. Their children Prince Archie (6) and Princess Lilibet (4) are not expected to accompany them on the trip.
The event is described as a retreat for “dynamic women” where Meghan and O’Neill will “talk about life, parenting, relationships, building a global business and navigating a public persona.”
O’Neill is uniquely positioned to explore these layers of Meghan’s life; O’Neill had been working in the US for more than a decade as an assistant to Australian actress Nicole Kidman and later as a creative executive at Kidman’s production company, Blossom Films.
Returning to Australia, O’Neill worked briefly in radio again before moving into management and business development. He and Henderson, best known as Jackie O, Best Life podcast and related initiatives.
The Australian tour announcement comes just days after Netflix confirmed it was withdrawing from being a “passive partner” of Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever. The Duchess launched the brand a year ago with a range of food products including jam, honey, tea and baking mixes.
Netflix released two seasons of a related television series. Best regardsahead of the duchess in 2025. A holiday special aired in December. No additional episodes are expected.
“We are pleased to have played a role in bringing this vision to life,” a Netflix spokesperson said. “As always intended, Meghan will continue to grow the brand and take it to the next level independently.”
The Sussexes’ visit to Australia follows another royal tour: King Frederik
There has been persistent speculation that the Prince and Princess of Wales, from whom the Sussexes have been particularly estranged, are also planning a visit to Australia with their children in late 2026.
The Sussexes last visited Australia in October 2018. not being able to resistPrince Harry wrote about the intense reaction to his wife. “There were huge crowds everywhere we went and he didn’t disappoint. He dazzled all over Australia, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand.”
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Michael Idato is general culture editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
