Meghan Markle has sparked fresh debate over her lifestyle ambitions after sharing a new set of entertaining tips prompting comparisons with Pippa Middleton’s famously mocked hosting book Celebrate.
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle brand published the guidance under the heading “Meghan’s Hosting Notes,” offering followers suggestions intended to make entertaining guests at home easier and more relaxed.
The advice quickly attracted mixed reactions online, with some social media users drawing parallels between Meghan’s latest venture and the experience of Princess Kate’s younger sister more than a decade ago.
Pippa, now Pippa Matthews, released Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends in 2012, providing ideas and advice covering parties, food, crafts and seasonal celebrations.
She promoted the book at a children’s Halloween event at Daunt Books in London, but some of its more straightforward suggestions became the subject of widespread jokes and criticism.
The reaction became significant enough to inspire parody posts and accounts online, with critics mocking what they considered obvious or unnecessarily simple pieces of lifestyle advice.
Meghan is now facing some similar criticism after As Ever positioned her personal hosting suggestions as useful guidance for followers looking to entertain friends and family.
Among the recommendations, the Duchess suggested leaving one final task until guests arrive: “Something you can finish in the kitchen while everyone settles in.”
As Ever also advised followers that “a little preparation goes a long way toward making hosting feel effortless,” reflecting Meghan’s broader approach of turning everyday entertaining into a carefully prepared experience.
Whether the reaction develops into anything resembling the mockery surrounding Pippa’s Celebrate remains unclear. Online criticism represents only part of the response and does not necessarily indicate how Meghan’s wider audience views the advice.
The hosting notes also fit closely with the lifestyle territory Meghan has explored through With Love, Meghan, her Netflix programme featuring cooking, entertaining, crafts and ideas for creating thoughtful experiences for guests.
Her latest As Ever content comes as Meghan establishes a renewed routine in Britain. She and Prince Harry have been spending extended time in the UK after returning with their children at the end of August.
Earlier this month, Meghan hosted her close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen during her UK visit. Zajfen subsequently shared an enthusiastic account of the trip and suggested her friend had received a warm response from people she encountered.
For Meghan, the comparisons with Pippa underline the risks that come with offering simple lifestyle guidance to a highly scrutinised audience. Yet As Ever appears committed to making entertaining and hospitality central to the Duchess’s brand, even as her latest “Hosting Notes” generate both interest and scepticism online.
