Meghan Markle 'Was in Tears' When Her New Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard 'Was Widely Mocked'
Meghan Markle is preparing for the official launch of her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, but one royal commentator believes the public's response to the Duchess of Sussex's jam might've hurt her feelings.
“The one fly in the ointment is Meghan’s new internet brand, America Riviera Orchard. Meghan was in tears when the brand launched and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special,” royal author Tom Quinn told an outlet.
“She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized," Quinn alleged. "Like her husband, she feels that people are unfairly picking on her – she cannot understand why people don’t admire her work.”
Since leaving the U.K., Meghan relocated to the lavish neighborhood of Montecito, Calif., and she aligned herself with A-listers such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Ellen DeGeneres.
“She is especially sensitive about any criticism of her luxurious lifestyle in the U.S. – from her point of view this is something to be admired not criticized,” he added.
Although some fans weren't enthusiastic to see celebrities receive limited edition jars of Meghan's jelly, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend praised the product in an interview. OK! previously reported the supermodel used the item to create sandwiches with bacon and brie cheese for her family.
"That sandwich was, like, incredible. One of the best bites I've had in a long time," Legend told an outlet when asked about the dish.
"You don't want to use it because I don't want to lose it," Teigen noted. "So now I feel like we did the sandwich, and now I'm gonna keep [the jam] in my fridge forever."
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Although the power couple has yet to have "a double date" with the Suits star and Prince Harry, Teigen and Meghan first came in contact during their time as Deal or No Deal models.
"I was on Deal or No Deal ages ago," Teigen admitted, while the "All of Me" singer quickly added that the women are "both Deal or No Deal alumni."
"I didn't actually make it past — I was not one of the [briefcase] girls for more than two episodes," Teigen added. "Because I couldn't do any choreography or anything. So they demoted me to a banker girl."
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Along with American Riviera Orchard, the Suits star will relaunch her podcast "Archetypes" after Spotify pulled the plug on it in 2023.
“I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting,” Meghan said in a statement. “Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024."
"Our plan to re-release 'Archetypes' so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works," she continued. "I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."
Quinn spoke to The Mirror.