A royal expert has questioned if Meghan Markle wants to come to the UK “purely for selling her goods” as the Duchess launches a new lifestyle brand.
Ms Markle, 42, appeared in a video on the Instagram account American Riviera Orchard in what has been seen as a rebrand of a previous commercial venture called The Tig.
The former actor left Instagram when she got engaged to Prince Harry and as recently as last week, spoke about the dangers of social media.
But on Thursday, a new account appeared on Instagram, saying it was created by Meghan. The unverified account included photos of a logo and link to a website to join a waitlist to learn more details.
The apparent new venture comes as speculation mounts about whether the Sussexes will come to the UK this year as Prince Harry’s father King Charles continues his cancer treatment.
Royal commentator Angela Levin made her feelings clear about the new brand and the timing of the launch in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
She wrote: “Meghan shows no respect for the Monarchy and those in it by launching her jam and tablecloth stalls when (sic) Princess Diana’s memorial awards charity.
“The late Queen saw it coming. Has Harry had a say? Does she want to come to the UK purely for selling her goods?”
Meanwhile, speaking to Daily Express US, royal expert Robert Jobson hit out at the decision but claimed the move was “good marketing”.
He said: “This is poor timing once again. Meghan knows she will get a reaction and that’s exactly what she wants. This is an example of good marketing. She knows what she is doing.”
On the same day as the American Riviera Orchard account appeared, Prince Harry and William were speakers at the Diana Legacy Award in London.
The brothers avoided one another, with William appearing in person for the ceremony and Harry speaking to the young people present afterwards via a livestream.
William attended the event at the Science Museum in London on Thursday night and gave a speech to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary.
Harry addressed those in the audience via a live video for about half an hour after the ceremony concluded. Harry said: “Thank you very much for inspiring so many others and at the same time protecting my mother’s legacy, I really appreciate that.
“And Tessy (Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award), again, well done on this fantastic group of individuals.”
William earlier said that his mother taught him that “everyone has the potential to give something back”.
