Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Sundance screening sparks online row: ‘Sussex Squad’ brand claims event failed to sell out as ‘lies’ despite photos showing ‘rows of empty seats’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s fans have decried claims that the Sundance Film Festival world premiere of their documentary about Girl Scouts selling biscuits was not a sell-out.

The couple were in Utah for the screening of Cookie Queens on Sunday morning, posing on the red carpet together with director Alysa Nahamias. 

Meghan, a former Girl Scout herself, then gave a speech on stage praising the film and thanking so many people for coming to see it.

‘This film is probably the cutest at the festival’, she said, adding that she and her husband are ‘proud and privileged’ to have worked on it.

According to reports, there were a number of unoccupied seats at the Eccles Theatre screening. People had to be turned away from the premiere of Olivia Wilde’s ‘The Invite,’ starring Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton the night before.

Pictures online appeared to showed significant spaces on the balcony above the busy stalls area of the theatre before Cookie Queens began.

But supporters of Meghan and Harry, known colloquially as the Sussex Squad, have said claims the couple couldn’t sell out the premiere was a false online conspiracy to attack the couple and the documentary Archewell Productions had co-produced.

One person in the audience insisted it was a ‘packed house’ and a complete sell out.  Others shared images from ticket websites showing there were no tickets available for the premiere – or for the coming days.

The online row sparked by press reports in the US has led to them trading insults and pictures from inside the venue with critics of the couple who insist they could see empty seats. 

There were around 150 empty seats when the premiere of Cookie Queens began on Sunday morning costing up to $7,000 for a pass, The New York Post claimed. This then reduced to around 60 empty seats when the film began ten minutes late, according to Page Six. 

But it has sparked fury amongst their fans.

In response, one supporter who was there said: ‘This is silly, it was a packed house at 9am for a documentary in the biggest theater’.

Another tweeted: ‘LIARS, LIARS, LIARS! ALL screenings SOLD OUT!’. Several people shared screengrabs of the theatre’s online ticket page to prove it.

But critics have also taken to social media showing pictures and video from inside the theatre that they claim shows it was not full.

Several images were circled to show what some claimed did show swathes of empty seats.

In her speech the Duchess of Sussex thanked people for attending the Sunday morning showing.

She said to cheers on stage: ‘Thank you so much for being here bright and early. I know some of you probably had late nights, last night, so extra thanks for the effort.

‘My husband and I, and Archewell Productions, we are so proud and privileged to be able to support and uplift Cookie Queens’.

Cookie Queens has had mixed early reviews and is yet to find a distributor.

According to Tom Sykes’ The Royalist substack, the couple’s involvement with the film began only after it was completed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then sat down and watched the special screening of their film, Cookie Queens, which follows four Girl Scouts during the iconic cookie-selling season.

Asked by a reporter whether Lilibet would become a Girl Scout in the future, Meghan gave a vague answer, saying they would ‘continue to explore whatever feels right’.

Meghan says she has a ‘personal affinity’ with the 91-minute film because she was a Girl Scout while growing up in California, with her mother Doria Ragland serving as her troop leader.

Speaking at the festival, Meghan recalled her time in the Girl Scouts and revealed what the experience meant to her.

She told a reporter: ‘It really embeds such great values from the get-go. 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. 

‘And self-belief I think is a really integral value that comes as being a girl scout.’

Speaking alongside Cookie Queens director Alysa Nahamias, Meghan added: ‘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.

Asked about the film, Alysa then added: ‘In fact the film began with my my kids asking me to make a film that they would really want to share with their friends and then understanding that Girl Scout cookies was a way into looking at girlhood and coming of age, in a way that kids and adults will really relate to.’

In an Instagram post from last April promoting her Lemonada Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan wrote, ‘being an entrepreneur can start young’ alongside never-before-seen childhood photos of her selling cookies in a Girl Scouts uniform.

She previously said: ‘As a former Girl Scout myself, with my mom as my troop leader, I have a personal affinity for this film and am proud that all our conversations and collaboration have led to Archewell Productions partnering with this award-winning team to executive produce this incredibly captivating documentary.

‘When we first viewed the early footage of this documentary, it was immediately something we wanted to be involved in.

‘The creative point of view, the edgy yet humanising tone and tenor of the directing, and the glimpse behind-the-scenes into such a nostalgic and also modern tradition of Girl Scout Cookie season are absolutely irresistible.’ 

Harry, 41, and Meghan are executive producers on the documentary directed by Alysa Nahmias and produced in partnership with Archewell Productions, Beautiful Stories and AJNA Films.

It showed in the family matinee category at the festival.

The film’s description reads: ‘Captivating, candid, and full of heart, the film follows four girls ages five to twelve and their families as they navigate the annual whirlwind of selling, striving, and succeeding.

‘For these Girl Scouts, selling cookies isn’t just about Thin Mints and sisterhood – it’s a crash course in entrepreneurship. Behind the smiles and cookie boxes lie real pressure: long hours, ambitious sales goals, and the weight of high expectations.

‘Nahmias crafts a bold, vibrant, observational portrait that honors the girls’ perspectives and illuminates the emotional and intellectual stakes of their experiences.’

The royal couple were first announced to be part of the Cookie Queens film in December last year.