Meghan Markle is being slammed for her latest business venture.
The Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever rosé has reportedly been failing to sell out, despite a massive promotional campaign. According to the Daily Mail, the brand claims that the £30 bottles are ‘going fast,’ though this is not true. In contrast, its predecessor sold out within an hour of its launch last month, though the new bottles were reportedly available for purchase three days after it debuted.
Fans are slamming the former actress for launching the wine on Princess Diana’s birthday, a move that those online are referring to as “tone deaf.” Users also critiqued one of the promotional tactics, where a community cookbook called Together: Our Community Cookbook promoted alcohol had pictures of women wearing hijabs.
Meghan Markle gets embroiled in controversy for her latest wine: Here’s why
The Daily Mail has reported that on July 31, Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand announced it would be launching another wine. However, sales have seemingly been abysmal as fans struggle to spend over £22 for a single bottle, atop the three-bottle minimum required to make the purchase.
Furthermore, the newest launch also has less alcohol than its predecessor, the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé. Its label states that the latter has 13.5 per cent alcohol for a 750ML bottle, while the former has 14.5 per cent ABV per bottle. However, the prices of both were the same.
Furthermore, royal expert Kinsey Schofield spoke to The Sun about her qualms with debuting the launch on what would have been Princess Diana’s birthday. She said that the fiasco “struck a very specific nerve,” especially with Prince William, Meghan Markle’s brother-in-law.
“It’s not lost on Prince William that Meghan has launched an alcohol brand on his mother’s birthday, the very mum he lost in a drink driving tragedy,” the expert said. She went on, “Timing an alcohol launch to Diana’s birthday wasn’t just a misstep, it was borderline cruel. To claim ignorance here doesn’t hold up-it wasn’t just insensitive. It felt like a betrayal of the very narrative she’s working so hard to craft.”
In a press release, Meghan’s team touted the wine as “light, fresh, and effortlessly celebratory.”
“This debut rosé marks the beginning of As Ever’s thoughtful expansion into wine, with a Méthode Champenoise Napa Valley sparkling wine planned for the near future and additional varietals to follow,” the statement read. It added: “Designed for summer’s best moments – from lunches that turn into dinners and sun-drenched weekends where the only thing louder than the music is the laughter.”
The As Ever lineup also features products like crepe and shortbread mixes, as well as apricot jams, orange blossom honey, and an assortment of teas. Earlier this week, nearly all of the products had seemingly been sold out, as a note on the website read: “More coming soon.”
Meghan Markle has yet to respond to the controversy.
Why did you not like this content?
Cancel
Submit
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Edited by Sohini Biswas