Friends of the Duchess of Sussex have confirmed they were the recipients of the birthday presents that sparked confusion on social media. Meghan Markle posted a video of a box of As Ever rosé wine on her Instagram page, and an additional box of wine was adorned with flowers and peaches.
Alongside the video, Meghan posted the cryptic message: “Sending birthday love (both near and far) to my ladies.” At the time, it was unclear who she was sending the wine to, but the video was posted as a new image of the Queen was shared to mark her 78th birthday.
However, it has now been revealed that Meghan’s two friends, Heather Dorak and Jamie Kern Lima, were gifted the rosé wine.
Taking to Instagram, Dorak shared the box which was displayed in Meghan’s Instagram post with a sprig of lavender and wrote: “You know how to make a friend feel special @meghan”.
Meanwhile, Kern Lima, who turned 48, received the gift box with flowers and peaches and posted: “@meghan thank you for the most magical birthday basket! Our friendship is a gift as is your beautiful soul!”
Heather Dorak has been the Duchess of Sussex’s devoted friend for many years and the pair are often spotted out and about together in LA. The pilates instructor originates from San Antonio, Texas but is now based in California where she owns Pilates Platinum studios.
Jamie Kern Lima is a neighbour of Meghan and Prince Harry’s, and also interviewed the Duchess her own podcast on April 28. Jamie Kern Lima is the Co-founder of IT Cosmetics, a company she sold to L’Oreal for $1.2 billion, becoming the first female CEO in L’Oreal’s history.
Royal fans were initially confused whether Camilla was a recipient of the As Ever drink, with one saying: “Pretending that Meghan was alluding to [Camilla] is pathetic and hilarious. LOL.”
Another, wrote: “M sending Camilla birthday wishes and a bottle of wine wasn’t something I was expecting, but here we are.”
The As Ever wine is the first alcoholic product to be sold under the brand, and joins her current list of product item of raspberry and apricot spreads, cookie mixes, flower sprinkles and herbal tea.
Since the start of the year, Meghan has returned to Instagram, launched a podcast, starred in her Netflix show and launched her lifestyle business, As Ever.