Royal fans are all issuing the same complaint after Meghan Markle unveiled her brand’s strawberry jam.
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed the first product to be sold under her new business venture, American Riviera Orchard.
She has launched a strawberry jam and sent jars to 50 influencers to taste test the conserve.
The brand new product, in a glass jar with a fabric lid and fastened with a bow, features a label that says the brand name and Montecito, where Meghan and Prince Harry live in California, and a handwritten number between one and 50.
The Duchess of Sussex unveiled her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, in March. The trademark for the brand, filed in February, mentions decanters, kitchen linens, pet accessories, table card holders, nut butters, spreads, preserves, and jellies.
Many criticised the Duchess for the new brand and the release of the preserve.
Some questioned the timing of the launch, given the cancer diagnoses of the King and the Princess of Wales, others called Meghan a “grifter” and “shameless” for “using her title” to make money.
But royal experts have pointed out that this is not that peculiar for a member of the Royal Family. The King launched his Duchy Originals brand in 1990 as a passion project.
It championed his belief in organic farming practices, with milk from cows fed an organic diet and eggs from chickens given ample space to roam and forage.
At the time he was mocked for his views but the brand was snapped up as a Waitrose exclusive just two years later and now it has raised over £30million for The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.
“The notion that royalty can ever be separated from social and cultural influence is absurd,” shares historian Gareth Russell. “Royal support and royal patronage has huge clout.
“Obviously, as you enter the 20th century, this role of ‘influencer’ is complicated by the issue of potential commercial gain, but really if you look at things like the Duchy of Cornwall, which has been incredibly successful with its range of organic food, what the Duchess of Sussex is doing is essentially no different to other members of the Royal Family, including the most senior members.”
It has also been likened to the Royal Warrant, which permits a company to use the royal arms in connection with its business, essentially advertising products as approved by a member of the Royal Family.
“Historically we have seen (the Royals) wield soft cultural power for brands,” shares Russell.
“The popularity of Fabergé in Edwardian society was a direct result of the very public patronage given to them by King Edward VII’s wife, Queen Alexandra, who was often seen entering and exiting Fabergé’s store in London.”
Another element of American Riviera Orchard suggests the Duchess will be either hosting events or that the Sussexes will be renting out accommodation of some description, and again, this isn’t actually entirely new territory for a royal.
An outbuilding on the grounds of the Queen Mother’s former home, Castle Mey, was restored and reopened as a bed and breakfast called The Granary by Charles in 2019, while Prince William now rents out holiday cottages on the Duchy of Cornwall estate, complete with saunas, log burners, and heated swimming pools.
