Annie Walton Doyle
Meghan Markle has reportedly been ‘in tears’ over the brutal reaction to her new business and its first product.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, has taken on numerous roles since stepping down as a senior member of the royal family in 2020.
She’s worked on the nonprofit organisation The Archewell Foundation alongside her husband, Prince Harry, as well as inking deals with major companies like Netflix and Spotify.
And now, the duchess has launched her own lifestyle brand – and it’s caused quite a stir.
Markle launched the American Riviera Orchard brand earlier this year and it has since been marred by controversy.
The first product from the brand was a jar of strawberry jam, with only 50 being released to numerous celebrities.
It’s unclear whether or not it will ever become available to shop, per The Independent. However, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole believes the duchess might try and market the jar for £200 each.
Cole told GB News (via Express): “There’s a celebrity supermarket called Erewhon which is nowhere back to front and they sell jars of honey that have been made by the bees owned by celebrities for up to £200 ($250) a jar.
“This is getting very serious. She’s got to make money.”
A source told People magazine this new venture reflects ‘everything that she loves – family, cooking, entertaining and home décor’.
However, royal fans have taken to social media and criticised the brand and its product, with one writing: “50 jars of jam is not a business.”
Another person remarks: “So amazing – a jar of strawberry jam – like that’s original, seriously???”
“So ridiculous!” a third simply states.
Somebody else says: “I cannot understand why she picked to sell jam. Not so original.”
Following the release of Markle’s jam, it was reported that King Charles‘ brand of jam, Highgrove, saw a spike in sales, per MailOnline.
And now, royal experts have exclusively weighed in on Markle’s lifestyle brand with IGV.
Stacy Jones, the founder and CEO at Hollywood Branded, says the duchess has been ‘strategic’ in sending the jam to celebrities.
“For me, the standout about Meghan Markle’s launch of American Riviera Orchard’s strawberry jam is the strategic use of her celebrity network, which illustrates a significant insight into celebrity-endorsed branding,” the expert tells IGV.
“Typically, brands are eager to partner with celebrities, often under the mistaken belief that these celebrities will automatically engage their famous friends in social media promotions.
“However, the reality is quite different. Celebrities usually do not leverage their personal networks for a brand unless they have a profound connection or ownership of the project – even if they have equity stakes.”
Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast, has also shared her thoughts on why the reception to Markle’s jam has been lacklustre.
She tells IGV: “I think the media spent three years debating Meghan’s qualifications to run for president so when Meghan’s big reveal is a jam jar… you’re going to be wildly disappointed.”
If royal expert and author Tom Quinn’s claims are anything to go by, Markle has reportedly been left ‘in tears’ over the brand and product criticism.
Quinn alleges to the Mirror: “Meghan was in tears when the brand launched and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special.”
He claims that Markle feels ‘everything she does will be unfairly criticised’.
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