Scandal strikes Meghan Markle’s $3,000 Australian girls’ weekend: ‘Sussex Squad’ lieutenant who said the unspeakable about cancer-stricken Kate is handpicked for retreat
An anti-royal influencer and senior lieutenant of the so-called ‘Sussex Squad’ claims she is among the select few approved to attend Meghan Markle‘s ‘girls’ weekend’ in Sydney, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The Australian woman, who routinely spreads online bile about the British royals and has shockingly described the Princess of Wales‘s cancer as ‘fake’, even boasts she ‘went VIP’ – meaning her table will get a photo taken with the Duchess.
She is the worst offender among a trio of women publicly claiming they have been accepted to attend the $3,000‑a‑head ‘Her Best Life Retreat’ from April 17–19, despite their long history of portraying Meghan online as a flawless, persecuted heroine while relentlessly attacking the wider British Royal Family.
While her name is unknown, the apparent ringleader of the ‘squaddies’ set to attend the retreat goes by the handle @ZandiSussex on X (formerly Twitter).
She has 17,000 followers and describes herself as ‘unapologetically woke‘ and ‘very much not a fan of… British tabloids and rabid monarchists’. However, her online rhetoric goes far beyond the usual royal-bashing of the Sussex Squad.
On March 24, she announced: ‘Drumroll please! I’m so excited to share that I got a ticket to the Girls’ Weekend with Meghan! Yes, I’ll be inside and will make sure to bring you updates. AND I went VIP so our table gets a photo with Meghan. Let’s go!’
Days later, she boasted: ’21 sleeps until the Girls’ Weekend Retreat. I warned you all that if I got a ticket, you’d never hear the end of it.’
But back on November 8, 2024, @ZandiSussex peddled the sick and false conspiracy theory that the Princess of Wales’s cancer was ‘fake’ or somehow exaggerated.
An anti-royal influencer and senior lieutenant of the so-called ‘Sussex Squad’ claims she is among the select few approved to attend Meghan Markle’s ‘girls’ weekend’ in Sydney, the Mail can reveal. (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pictured in Hollywood in July 2024)
On March 24, @ZandiSussex announced: ‘Drumroll please! I’m so excited to share that I got a ticket to the Girls’ Weekend with Meghan! Yes, I’ll be inside and will make sure to bring you updates. AND I went VIP so our table gets a photo with Meghan. Let’s go!’
Alleged retreat invitee @ZandiSussex later tweeted: ’21 sleeps until the Girls’ Weekend’
Damningly, @ZandiSussex has previously peddled the sick and false conspiracy theory that the Princess of Wales’s cancer was ‘fake’ or somehow exaggerated
‘Kate’s “cancer” has always been one big scam! We knew this then and we know it now,’ she posted on X.
The same account repeated the entirely false claim a year later, on June 26, 2025.
And as the Mail was preparing this story for publication on Tuesday, yet another post appeared on the @ZandiSussex referring to a ‘fake cancer AI video’.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced in a video shot in Windsor in March 2024 that tests following major abdominal surgery had revealed cancer.
The wife of Prince William began preventative chemotherapy, and later confirmed in January 2025 that she was in remission and gradually resumed royal duties.
The Daily Mail is not suggesting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are aware of these false claims or that they endorse them in any way.
@ZandiSussex has also promoted the theory that the media and establishment are plotting to sabotage Harry and Meghan’s private trip Down Under.
She has stated her belief that a 40,000-signature Change.org petition demanding the Sussexes receive no taxpayer funding on their visit is ‘fake’. (A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan previously said: ‘This trip is being funded privately, so I’m not sure what this petition hopes to achieve.’)
Catherine announced in 2024 that tests after major abdominal surgery had revealed cancer
@ZandiSussex likes to sneer at Prince William and Princess Catherine, dubbing them ‘the Macbeths’ – a nod to Shakespeare’s scheming couple who plot to murder the king
Ridiculously, William has been described by @ZandiSussex as ‘violent’, based on an innocent childhood photo of the young prince engaging in horseplay with another boy
Since Meghan and Harry’s visit was announced, the broader Sussex Squad has erupted on X with false, conspiratorial claims of a ‘smear campaign’ to sabotage the Australia trip, orchestrated by a ‘jealous’ William and Kate (pictured here)
Ridiculously, she has also described William as ‘violent’, using a childhood photo of the prince engaging in harmless horseplay with another boy as supposed evidence.
@ZandiSussex likes to refer to William and Kate as ‘the Macbeths’ – a reference to the Shakespeare play in which Lady Macbeth and her husband plot to kill a king – and has described them as ‘narcissists’.
The Mail can further reveal that @ZandiSussex holds the belief that Harry and Meghan are hugely popular in Australia, unlike King Charles.
When the Sussexes last came to Australia in 2018 – coinciding with Meghan announcing her pregnancy – they received ‘a warm welcome and a traditional blessing’, the account tweeted last week.
In the same post, she noted that during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit in 2024, ‘Charles was told to go back where he came from’.
This was in reference to Senator Lydia Thorpe’s ‘you’re not my king’ protest, which saw her ejected from parliament and later censured. Beyond this, the couple were warmly received throughout their tour – which @ZandiSussex failed to mention.
Another alleged ‘Her Best Life’ invitee is X user @kerryLy4, a mother of five who said she was ‘pinching herself’ after securing a ticket. Her views are not in the same league as @ZandiSussex’s, although she is biased against Kate Middleton.
She also appears to be a customer of Meghan’s As Ever range, which includes cookie mixes, teas, jams and candles.
She promised to pass messages on to Meghan at the retreat, posting: ‘If anyone has a message for Meghan, DM me – I’ll print them out and make a book for her.’
One retweet on @KerryLy4’s account features a photo of the late Princess Diana with the caption: ‘The one and only Princess of Wales. Sorry, Kate doesn’t have the range, style, glamour, compassion, personality, work ethic, class, or grace.’
A third claimed invitee counting down the days until the retreat is X user @purplepanzee, who has mostly positive things to say about the Sussexes’ visit and does not hold the strident views of @ZandiSussex.
One common narrative of the self-described Aussie ‘squaddies’ is that the media and establishment are plotting to sabotage Harry and Meghan’s trip. (The Duke and Duchess are seen walking down the steps of the Sydney Opera House in October 2018)
@ZandiSussex relished in a rogue Senator yelling ‘you are not our King’ at Charles during his Australian tour – but neglected to mention that she is a fringe politician
Another alleged ‘Her Best Life’ invitee is @kerryLy4, a mother of five who said she was ‘pinching herself’ after securing a ticket – as seen in this post on X
@KerryLy4 promised to pass messages on to Meghan at the retreat, posting: ‘If anyone has a message for Meghan, DM me – I’ll print them out and make a book for her’
@KerryLy4 reposted this 2022 tweet saying that Kate Middleton ‘doesn’t have the range, style, glamour, compassion, personality, work ethic, class, or grace’ of the former Princess of Wales
X user @KerryLy4 clearly worships Meghan Markle and believes the Royal Family, media and establishment have ‘never stopped trying to destroy her’ – a common belief among ‘squaddies’
She posted last week: ’20 sleeps till #Herbestlife Retreat with my Besties I am ready for the hugs, the stories shared, good food, a little bit of bubbly and a Mega dash of our fav girl Meghan Markle.
‘They’ve spent years claiming Aussies “hate” Harry & Meghan, but when they arrive in April, we will welcome them with open arms #SussexSquad.’
After scoring a ticket, @purplepanzee tweeted, ‘For all the haters, wahhh wahhh wahhh. 4 #Sussexsquad Besties will be having the time of our lives in Sydney sipping champers while you whingeing hateful tossers will be sooking behind your screens.
‘Suck it up buttercups, we got a ticket’.
In the background, since Meghan and Harry’s visit was announced, the broader ‘Sussex Squad’ has erupted on X with false, conspiratorial claims of a ‘smear campaign’ against the pair, orchestrated by a ‘jealous’ William and Kate.
This is simply impossible as the Waleses do not have this kind of influence over Australian media and public opinion.
As an example, one tweet reads: ‘We knew that the insecure, weak, jealous W&K paid trolls, media & bot farms to smear H&M.’
Another Sussex cheerleader writes: ‘People calling on Australians to be hostile to Harry & Meghan really are deluded. Ordinary Australians can’t stand William & Charles.
‘They represent an oppressive system that mistreated their ancestors. Everyone I’ve spoken to is eagerly awaiting H&M’s visit.’
A third claimed invitee counting down the days until the retreat is @purplepanzee, who has mostly positive things to say about the visit and seems to lack the venom of the other two
However, she has been busy lately taking a swipe at the ‘haters’
Meanwhile, @ZandiSussex is now promoting Markle’s products, which are rumoured to be one of the reasons for the Sussexes’ visit after it was revealed the former Suits actress had registered trademarks for ‘As Ever’ in Australia.
The trademark covers a range of products, including yoga straps, pet feeding mats, bath and shower gels, jewellery, furniture and gardening equipment.
@ZandiSussex optimistically tweeted about Meghan’s jam offering: ‘Did you know that Australia imports $88million of jam each year? So there’s plenty of opportunity for As Ever to enter our market.
‘We also import over $34million of natural honey each year. I hope to see Meghan’s products being distributed here soon.’
The vetting process for guests on the Her Best Life Retreat, scheduled to take place at InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach in mid-April, is unclear.
@ZandiSussex is promoting Markle’s products, which are rumoured to be one of the reasons for the Sussexes’ visit after it was revealed she had registered ‘As Ever’ trademarks in Australia
The Sussexes’ last trip to Australia was in 2018 (pictured) when they were still senior royals and at the height of their popularity
However, one person who applied claimed that prospective attendees were required to state their reasons for attending before securing a spot.
‘The organisers had so many people register interest that they needed to select who got to go. We needed to write why we would like to attend. I got chosen,’ @KerryLy4 tweeted.
‘Then we were allowed to take a friend with us so I chose to invite another Meg supporter on here.’
The Mail contacted ‘Her Best Life’ organiser Gemma O’Neill for comment regarding the guest selection and vetting process.
Ms O’Neill was also asked whether she was aware that people claiming to be guests were vocal critics of the Royal Family.
