Montecito, California – December 4, 2025In a move that’s left royal watchers, family advocates, and even casual social media scrollers gasping in disbelief, Meghan Markle has ignited a firestorm of controversy with a seemingly tone-deaf Instagram post – all while her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., clings to life in a Philippine ICU following emergency surgery.
The Duchess of Sussex’s cryptic tease, “Things are about to get sweeter,” accompanied by a shadowy image hinting at her latest lifestyle brand venture, has been slammed as the height of insensitivity.
And let’s be real: critics are convinced she’s not just hawking chocolates here – this could be the sweetest revenge against a family she’s long accused of abandoning her.The timing couldn’t be worse – or more calculated, depending on who you ask. Just hours after news broke that 81-year-old Thomas Markle was rushed into surgery for a life-threatening condition, with reports of blood clots and a history of heart attacks and strokes painting a grim picture, Meghan’s As Ever brand account dropped the bombshell post. townandcountrymag.com
Sources close to the family say Thomas is “fighting for his life,” with his son (Meghan’s half-brother) Thomas Jr. warning that doctors have flagged immediate danger. yahoo.com The elder Markle, who has been living in relative obscurity in Mexico and now the Philippines after a decade of estrangement from his famous daughter, has endured two heart attacks before her 2018 wedding (which he missed) and a debilitating 2022 stroke that left him temporarily mute. standard.co.uk +1Yet, amid this dire family crisis, Meghan – the self-proclaimed champion of compassion and mental health – chose to pivot to promotion.
The Instagram story, posted at approximately 11:18 EST on December 3, featured a silhouette of a woman (widely presumed to be Meghan herself) with the tantalizing caption: “Things are about to get sweeter…” alm.com By the next day, it was revealed as a teaser for her limited-edition holiday chocolate bars under the As Ever label, which sold out almost immediately despite the backlash. dailymail.co.uk +1
But the internet isn’t buying the “just business” excuse. Hashtags like #MeghanHeartless and #FamilyFirstFail are trending, with users drawing parallels to past controversies where the Sussexes’ announcements clashed disastrously with royal family hardships.
“This goes down like a sack of cold shit when Meghan’s father is lying ill in intensive care,” one X user fumed in a post that’s racked up hundreds of likes and shares. @cgeebeehee37704 “Posting this to her SM on the same day was probably the very worst move she could’ve made. To try to deflect from the brutal reviews of her crappy show bleating about family.”
The “crappy show” in question? Meghan’s newly released Netflix holiday special, which has been panned by critics as overly saccharine and out of touch – a perfect storm for this latest PR nightmare.
Royal insiders and body language experts are piling on. “It’s the optics that kill you in this game,” says a former palace aide who spoke anonymously. “Meghan has built her post-royal brand on empathy, vulnerability, and family values.
But dropping a ‘sweeter’ tease while your dad is in ICU? It reeks of deflection or, worse, indifference. Remember when she deleted a smiling post after Prince Andrew lost his titles to avoid looking insensitive? Why not pull this one?”
@ThinkBeautiful_ Indeed, side-by-side timelines circulating on social media highlight the irony: Thomas admitted to hospital on Tuesday, Meghan’s post hits Instagram the same day, and by Wednesday, the chocolate launch is making headlines while her father’s health crisis dominates tabloids.Critics point to a pattern.
Back in June 2024, Meghan unveiled new jams and dog biscuits from her American Riviera Orchard brand mere hours after Kate Middleton’s triumphant return to the spotlight amid her cancer battle – a move that drew accusations of upstaging and insensitivity.
@nypost And who can forget the 2022 fallout when the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries trailer dropped the day after William and Kate’s Earthshot Prize event? “It’s like clockwork,” one commentator tweeted. “Family drama hits, Meghan monetizes.
Coincidence? Or calculated sweetness with a bitter aftertaste?”Thomas Markle’s health woes have been well-documented, often intertwined with his fractured relationship with Meghan.
He hasn’t spoken to her since before the 2018 wedding, citing media mishaps and family rifts exacerbated by the Megxit saga. In interviews, he’s expressed heartbreak over never meeting his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, and has pleaded for reconciliation. “I just want to see my grandkids before it’s too late,” he told reporters last year. Now, with him in intensive care – requiring another surgery for a blood clot – the silence from Montecito is deafening. tmz.com +1Social media is ablaze with calls for accountability.
“Meanwhile amidst the staged saccharine overload, Meghan’s father whom she has ghosted most horrifically for several years & cruelly ignored… was admitted to hospital fighting for his life,” another X post reads, garnering likes and reposts from anti-Sussex accounts. @Sabre31686865 Even neutral observers are weighing in: “Now’s the opportunity to show that love humanity and family you always speak about Meghan. Otherwise it’s all just performative isn’t it.” @PatriamQueenDefenders of the Duchess argue it’s unfair to link her business moves to personal family matters, especially given the long-standing estrangement. “Thomas has sold stories to the tabloids for years – why should Meghan drop everything now?” one supporter posted. But even they admit the timing stings. Meghan’s recent Thanksgiving message via As Ever, gushing about “playing a small role in your memories,” now reads like hollow platitudes in light of the ICU news.
@PaulaKa63589314As the chocolate bars fly off virtual shelves (despite the controversy), questions swirl: Is this Meghan’s way of signaling that life – and business – goes on, no matter the family fallout? Or is it a deeper jab, the “sweeter” things referring to her thriving independent empire amid royal rejections? One thing’s for sure: with Thomas’s condition still critical and no public acknowledgment from his daughter, this scandal is far from over.
The world is watching, and the bitterness is palpable.Archewell representatives declined to comment on the family matter, sticking to a boilerplate about the Duchess’s focus on “philanthropic work and joyful holiday initiatives.” But as one viral YouTube video title puts it: “World Holds Its Breath as Meghan’s Sweet Teaser Has the Palace – and Her Own Family – Seething.” youtube.com
Will reconciliation come before it’s too late? Or has the Sussex saga just gotten a whole lot more sour?
