Meghan Markle is reportedly furious over King Charles‘s latest product launch, a source has claimed.
The Duchess of Sussex soft launched her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, earlier this year and has been teasing the public with some of the products to be sold under its name, namely strawberry jam, raspberry jam and dog biscuits, by sending them to various influencers and friends.
While the official date of American Riviera Orchard’s hard launch is not confirmed, Meghan’s latest promotions have been overshadowed by King Charles’s launch of his latest product to hit the shelves – his organic Highgrove Royal Estate Honey, which costs a whooping £25 for a 350g jar.
The monarch sells a range of preserves and savouries through the Highgrove Shop – a place which includes gifts inspired by the King’s personal interests and his award-winning garden as well as royal memorabilia.
In April, when Meghan sent the first batch of strawberry jams to influencers to taste test also resulted in boosting sales for Charles’s own version of the product – his Highgrove Organic Strawberry Preserve, retailing at £6.95.
Now according to one source, Meghan believes the King’s honey launch is “no coincidence” and wants to confront her father-in-law but husband Prince Harry is “holding her back”.
They told New Idea magazine: “She is trying to establish herself as a lifestyle mogul but now she’s competing with a royal rival.”
The King has also released a new men’s cologne, Highgrove Splash, retailing at £135 which has further dishearted the duchess as she was “planning to develop her own men’s grooming range”.
The insider explained: “She had no idea [about this] and now suddenly, as she sees it, there’s a glut of his products on the market.
“She’s one step away from calling Charles about the clash but Prince Harry is holding her back.”
They added that Meghan is “convinced” that Highgrove’s latest promotion is a “deliberate attempt to curb her success”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not travelled back to the UK together since September 2022, when they attended the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, due to their ongoing rift with the royals.
It comes as the couple were last seen attending the ESPY awards in the US last week, where Harry received the controversial Pat Tillman award for Service for the efforts he’s made with the Invictus Games.