Pippa Middleton and Meghan Markle Both Tried the Same Thing — and Both Failed the Same Way
Pippa Middleton had once delved into the lifestyle space but had received the same result that Meghan Markle did several years later.
Princess Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, is certainly one of the most talked-about women in royal circles. However, the royal leverage didn’t quite work for her when she wrote her lifestyle book ‘Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends’ in 2012. To put it bluntly, it flopped. A story that repeated more than a decade later with Meghan Markle.
Given the 2012 currency rates, Pippa had received around $633k USD in advance from Penguin and had reportedly undertaken a massive publicity campaign. With a family business in party-planning and the backing of the UK’s crème de la crème, what could go wrong? As it turned out, a lot. ‘Celebrate’ sold only 2,000 copies in its first week and was far below the top 150 Amazon bestseller list. The poor sales were despite a reported 50% discount on the cover price. It appeared that being the future queen’s sister didn’t exactly translate into commercial success.
Interestingly, in 2025, the Duchess of Sussex also ventured into the lifestyle space with her own Netflix show, ‘With Love, Meghan’. Markle had previously run a successful lifestyle blog, The Tig, before marrying Prince Harry. Her new series seemed like an extension of her earlier endeavors, but it didn’t quite find the same level of viewership. While the first season made a mark, the second couldn’t crack the top ten. Due to poor reviews, ‘With Love, Meghan’ was canceled after two seasons and one holiday special.
While ‘Celebrate’ promised to deliver Pippa’s “personal tips, favorite recipes and useful decorating ideas”, the book received harsh criticism for unoriginal ideas and banal advice. “Because of their size, turkeys are perfect for feeding larger gatherings,” the book quoted. Could be right up there with Markle’s equally panned comment about pouring pretzels from big bags into smaller bags for guests. One of the strongest critiques ‘With Love, Meghan’ received was that it was out of touch and, in many ways, unrelatable.
However, while the Duchess’s show might have been canceled, her lifestyle brand, As Ever, is still running. While there have been doubts about actual sales following a previous website glitch and dwindling online traffic, Markle remains committed to her endeavor. Right after her return to the UK last month, she launched her Reserve Brut.
Their positions in the royal fold didn’t quite guarantee Pippa and Markle success in their commercial ventures. However, both women are still popular figures.
