Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accused of 'ridiculous' PR stunt
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared to attract attention for all the wrong reasons this weekend after a royal expert called their latest public relations efforts "ridiculous". While all eyes were on the British royal family as they marked Trooping the Colour, Meghan was accused of making an ill-timed decision surrounding the promotion of her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle products.
Just a few hours before the special event kicked off in the capital, polo player Ignacio Figueras, a close friend of Prince Harry, posted photographs to his Instagram page of two of Meghan's new products - dog biscuits and a limited-edition raspberry jam.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the timing of the post - which he claimed the couple would be fully aware of - was "pretty silly".
"Megan and Harry know perfectly well every single thing they do is monitored by the press," he told The Sun. He also claimed the couple "never cared" about royal protocol, and "you don't have a diary clash" when it comes to official statements and such things.
"Meghan would not have been advised to do this by any of her public relation consultants. This is something of a joke," he said. Referencing the jam's label which read "2 of 2", the royal expert also said he didn't understand Meghan's public relations strategy, especially given the timing in relation to Trooping the Colour.
"The label on the jar said two of two, if she's only going to send two jars out, what on earth is the point?" he added, calling the move "ridiculous".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend this year’s or last year's Trooping the Colour, which celebrated the official birthday of King Charles III. The occasion adds to a growing list of events the couple have missed, which also includes the recent Bridgerton-style wedding of his close friend Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, on Friday 7 June.
Meghan announced her new lifestyle brand, which has been compared with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop range, back in March but it is not yet available to the general public.
This latest PR move comes after the former Suits actress was mocked after her best friend Abigail Spencer created her own promotional post in support of her pal.
After being gifted one of 50 jars of the special product, Abigail filmed footage of herself with the jar, alongside a beautifully laid out bowl of lemons complete with colourful flower display. The actress's dog also made an appearance, but even that wasn't enough to stop some comments of how "hilarious" and "cringe" about her enthusiastic support.
