Meghan Markle has come under fire for her latest endeavour to launch her global lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, as a royal expert brands it a “silly” move.
Royal biographer Angela Levin has criticised Meghan’s move, suggesting that Britain was deemed “too small” for her ambitions.
The controversy ignited as Meghan unveiled her brand’s inaugural product, strawberry jam, purportedly made from fruits grown in her home garden. However, the limited release of only 50 jars sent to friends and American influencers sparked skepticism.
In an interview with GB News, Levin labeled the concept as “silly,” emphasizing that the exclusivity of the release implies that “the rest of us won’t be able to taste the jam.”
Levin also questioned the authenticity of Meghan’s claim that the fruit was home grown. She said: “I didn’t believe it. Is this a time when you’re going to even get raspberries and strawberries?”
READ MORE: Marks and Spencer skirt looks just like Meghan Markle’s and costs under £40
“And adding the sentence that King Charles used to buy his [fruit] in, I thought, oh, you’re just sort of building up against him.”
Criticism extended to the packaging of the jam, with Levin highlighting the limited release numbers that were written on the jars. She also remarked that the product’s high price of $30 (£24) per jar seemed unjustified.
She said: “It’s not a wonderful thing that somebody is going to make and you’re going to keep forever. Are we meant to keep the empty jar, or are we meant to keep the jam, because it’s so special at $30 a jar. It’s ridiculous.”
DON’T MISS:
Regarding Meghan’s aspirations to make the brand global, Levin dismissed the idea as “ridiculous”. She said: “I just think it’s a ridiculous idea.
“And I think it’s very silly to come up with one thing. You don’t know what the next thing is, but she is trying to go globally.
“That word globally is absolutely Meghan’s favourite word, because Britain was too small for her. She always wanted to be global, so if she can sell things globally, she will be thrilled to bits.”
