Meghan Markle's newly launched chocolate bars, priced at £9 each, have sparked fierce backlash from consumers who have branded the bars "insane" and "weird" due to their unconventional flavour combinations.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, revealed three limited edition treats through her As Ever lifestyle brand on Thursday, incorporating what she describes as "signature" ingredients designed to "spark a sweet nostalgia".
The range features botanical-print packaging and includes ingredients such as bee pollen, hemp hearts, and edible flower sprinkles.
However, the attempt to position the products within the luxury chocolate market has been met with backlash from critics who questioned both the unusual taste combinations and the high price point.
Meghan Markle has received significant backlash on social media following the launch of her As Ever chocolate bars
|PA/INSTAGRAM
The launch was announced via a polished Instagram video set to Shirley Ellis's I See It, I Like It, I Want It.
The three varieties comprise milk chocolate paired with shortbread biscuits and bee pollen, white chocolate containing flower sprinkles and hemp hearts, and dark chocolate featuring raspberry spread with sea salt.
Social media users were quick to voice their displeasure. One critic wrote: "She's got to be joking. $12 for a CHOCOLATE BAR? With weird [flavours] in it? Like who ruins chocolate with flower sprinkles? And bee pollen? Leave that for the bees."
The same user added: "There's NO WAY I'd pay $12 for a random chocolate bar with weeds in it. Gross."
Another commenter on X declared: "The flavours are just cringeworthy! Sticking that raspberry spread junk in one, flower sprinkles in another!"
Others expressed disbelief, with one writing: "Was shocked with the flowers!"
The chocolate launch came just hours after reports emerged that Meghan's father had been admitted to intensive care in the Philippines.
Thomas Markle Jnr has spoken publicly on the health struggles Thomas Markle is suffering with
| GB NEWSThomas Markle, 81, has since undergone life-saving surgery to remove his left leg below the knee following a three-hour operation.
His son Thomas Jr stated: "There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death."
The duchess has not publicly addressed her father's medical emergency.
Meghan and her father have been estranged since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
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The timing of the product launch, coinciding with news of her father's critical condition, has added another layer of scrutiny to the duchess's commercial ventures.
The royal's Netflix special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration has also faced withering criticism since its release this week.
The one-hour holiday episode, in which Meghan guides celebrity guests through crafting Christmas crackers and demonstrates gift-wrapping techniques, received devastating reviews from major publications.
The Daily Mail's Annabel Fenwick Elliott awarded the programme zero stars, writing: "It's the syrupy hypocrisy and our hostess's deep lack of self-awareness that continue to make her and this show so unlikeable."
The backlash comes after the duchess's Netflix special debuted to poor reviews
|NETFLIX
The Telegraph's Anita Singh gave it just one star, describing the special as "quite mad and a little bit sad."
This 56-minute festive episode follows two previous series that were similarly savaged by critics.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a Netflix contract reportedly worth over $100million in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties, and subsequently signed a "first-look" deal that is currently in effect.
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