Last night, Meghan Markle came to the realization that once again, she had not been invited to the Time 100 Gala—the very same event where celebrities like Gayle King, Serena Williams, and even Blake Lively confidently graced the red carpet.
Meanwhile, Meghan was met with nothing but deafening silence. Let's be honest: when Blake Lively is honored as one of Time's most influential figures and Meghan isn't even mentioned, not even offered a pity seat tucked away near the bathroom, it’s clear that something has gone seriously awry in the Montecito PR command center.
Time 100 isn't exactly the Oscars, but in the world of curated relevance and overpriced keynote speeches, it’s still a significant marker of social standing. Meghan’s entire image is built around this kind of soft influence—the "I care deeply" persona, the championing of female empowerment, the voice-for-the-voiceless branding. So for her not to be invited to an event that embodies those very ideals is a brutal irony that’s hard to ignore.
Naturally, the question looms large: why wasn’t Meghan there? Surely the self-appointed compassion guru could have squeezed the gala in between saving orphans and waging war against the overlords of social media. Or maybe, just maybe, she couldn’t afford it. After all, the event operates on a pay-to-play basis. Blake Lively clearly opted for the deluxe package—red carpet privileges, gala seating, and a fresh stamp of relevance. Meghan, by contrast, might have scraped together just enough for a virtual ticket and a commemorative pin.
When your most recent media "victory" involves a fifteen-minute cameo in a docuseries that barely anyone watched, the Time 100 appearance fee starts looking more like a down payment on a used Range Rover than a worthwhile PR investment. As for Harry, the once-glamorous prince has fallen so far from grace that he couldn't even snag a plus-one invite to an influencer-heavy gala. His social decline has been almost artful in its dramatic flair. No wonder Meghan supposedly gave him the side-eye when he suggested they try to go. "Ain't nobody inviting us to that, Harold."
You just know Meghan’s group chat was blowing up. "Can't believe they picked Blake," she probably texted, all while doomscrolling through glossy images of the event. To be fair, Blake did look stunning—likely having paid her PR team in solid gold to make sure of it. At least Blake’s dress fit perfectly, which is a luxury the Duchess of Deals sometimes foregoes, perhaps thanks to tightening budgets.
Whenever Meghan skips a high-profile event, the usual arsenal of excuses comes out: security concerns, motherhood duties, not wanting to distract from the honorees, or the ever-popular "compassion fatigue." But really, it’s simple—she wasn't invited. It would have been far better to accept the loss gracefully—or at the very least, creatively.
Adding to the theater of it all, Meghan’s favorite media allies rushed to spin the narrative, claiming she was too busy empowering women to attend. Ironically, the event itself was all about empowering women. What exactly was she doing instead—repotting lavender or weeping into the last unsold copy of The Bench?
In the end, Meghan wasn’t snubbed. She was simply outbid. And in today’s world, where influence can be bought with a swipe of a credit card, that might just be the harshest cut of all. So here’s to yet another missed gala, another empty red carpet stroll, and another LinkedIn title Meghan won’t be adding anytime soon.
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