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Meghan Markle addresses misconceptions surrounding drug use on her podcast in the wake of her husband, Prince Harry‘s US visa row. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a rough start to 2025, with dwindling popularity and overhanging court battles plaguing them. The situation especially threatened Meghan, who was on the verge of her career turnaround, struggling to hold on to her Netflix deal while relaunching her new brand, As Ever.
Although the duo put on a united front as they publicly promoted their separate professional ventures, sources claimed at the time that the duchess felt humiliated having to deal with the media portrayal of her husband as a liar amid his visa row. The 43-year-old reportedly feared the damaged reputation would hinder the success of her lifestyle brand and other ensuing projects.
Meghan Markle Admits to Using Mushrooms During Pregnancy
Things have since worked well for the couple, with Meghan Markle’s Netflix-supported lifestyle brand taking off, while Prince Harry scored a victory in the court case questioning his US visa application. With the storm now behind them, the As Ever founder is in a better position to address the thwarted attempts to tear them down. On Tuesday’s episode of her Lemonda Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan Markle opened up about using mushrooms as a medicinal food source during her pregnancy.
During her sit-down with Hannah Menoza, founder of mushroom-based company Clevr Blends, Meghan Markle explained some properties of mushrooms that made them unique as both food and medicine, contrary to their perception as psychedelic drugs. According to her, elements like mushrooms have been part of the natural ecosystem for ages, and go beyond the connotations erroneously attached to them. She explained,
“But it’s really just a food trend. These have properties that somehow can make you feel different in a very safe way. During my pregnancies, I had an Ayurvedic doctor, and a lot of my care was focused on seeing food as medicine.”
The duchess went on to explain how the practice, introduced to her by an Ayurvedic doctor, helped her avoid pain during her pregnancy. The mom of two then clarified a common misconception about mushrooms and how consumers of the food source are often misclassified as “hippies.” She particularly directed her swipe at those who draw these conclusions despite being ignorant about such “adaptogens,” divulging,
“I think a lot of people, when they hear mushrooms, they think, ‘Well, he’s talking about being hippie, being rooted in all these things.’ If you’re not familiar with adaptogens you can get to that point of thinking: ‘Oh, it feels a little psychedelic and super weird.'”
Fans React to Meghan’s Mushroom Revelation
The entrepreneur’s admission to mushroom use left royal fans questioning the truthfulness of the personal experiences shared on her podcast. According to them, her latest account of yet another of her rare pregnancy struggles seemed so unnatural, as if specially constructed to hit back at certain ill-conceived notions about her and her husband. One critic wrote on Reddit,
“Is this a podcast about female founders or a clap back to her pregnancy rumors? So far she has spoken almost exclusively about things about her pregnancy that sound not real.”
Another noted,
“She had an Ayurvedic doctor during her pregnancy, but didn’t talk to her about her suicidal thoughts? She was able to find an Ayurvedic doctor, but not a therapist? Huge mistake, Meghan, huge.”
A third pointed out,
“She makes the mistake a lot of people do in stating that if it’s ‘food/plants,’ it’s safe. Where the hell does she think heroin comes from? Most psychedelics come from plants. There are all kinds of ‘natural’ sources for mind-altering experiences. That doesn’t make them safe, idiot.”
A fourth wrote,
‘I think she was talking about normal mushrooms in her Ayurvedic diet, but that the word ‘mushroom’ has other connotations for her husband. I know several people who follow Ayurvedic, and they take no mind-altering substances.’
Standing Up For Prince Harry
Meghan Markle’s comments, hitting back at the idea that those who consume mushrooms are hippies, come in the wake of her husband, Prince Harry’s, admission to using mushrooms and other drugs. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, the Duke went candid about his past drug use during a disturbed phase of his life. He admitted to using marijuana and cocaine, as well as having therapy with Ayahuasca, psilocybin, and mushrooms to help cope with the loss of his mom.
This admission eventually became the subject of a court case as the conservative think tank group The Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit and a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the prince’s immigration records. The group argued that Harry may have lied about his past drug use on his visa application, which would make him ineligible for a US visa.
After a lengthy back-and-forth, the court eventually ruled that the 40-year-old’s visa application complied with applicable rules and regulations, and hence, he wouldn’t face deportation. Regardless, like the think tank group, many still harbor their wrong perception of the estranged prince, viewing him through the lens of his drug history. However, by addressing her mushroom use, Meghan has come to her husband’s defense, establishing that using certain substances with misconstrued connotations does not automatically write him off as some “hippie” undeserving of a US visa.
