Meghan Markle was namechecked in Monday's BBC EastEnders episode after character Bea Pollard suggested Honey Mitchell could “make jam like Meghan”.
The pair were discussing ways to earn money following a workplace row at the local supermarket, the Minute Mart, where both characters lost their jobs.
The throwaway line was delivered as Bea and Honey talked through a possible market-stall plan, with crafts and home-made goods floated as quick-fire options.
Billy Mitchell, Honey's husband, played by actor Perry Fenwick, suggested: "Maybe you could get your old job back at the market?"
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Honey, portrayed by actress Emma Barton, replied: "What, and work for creepy Mr Lister again? No, thank you!"
Bea, who is played by actress Ronni Ancona, quipped: "Well, you and me could run a stall maybe?" to which Honey asked: "Selling what?"
The character answered: "I dunno... uh, jumpers, hats, novelty pin cushions. Ooh, you could make jam! Like Meghan - and I could crochet those little, um, covers to go with it."
The reference landed as Meghan continues to push her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which sells fruit spreads and other food products online after launching in April 2025.
Meghan Markle referenced in BBC EastEnders episode amid job loss storyline
|BBC / GETTY
On the brand’s website, a jar of Raspberry Spread is listed at $12 (£8.79), while Raspberry Spread in Keepsake Packaging is priced at $15 (£10.99). A tub of Flower Sprinkles is also listed at $15 (£10.99).
As Ever also sells bundles, including a Signature Fruit Spread Gift Box at $42 (£30.76) and a Honey Duo Gift Box at $62 (£45.41).
The EastEnders line also played into a long-running talking point around Meghan’s products: the deliberate decision to market them as spreads rather than jam.
In media interviews around the launch, Meghan said: “Technically, it can’t be called jam because jam is equal parts sugar and fruit,” adding that she wanted a product where you can taste the fruit.
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Characters Billy Mitchell, Honey Mitchell and Bea Pollard drinking in the Queen Vic pub
|BBC
In the United States, “fruit preserves and jams” are covered by standards of identity in federal regulations.
The rules specify minimum proportions for fruit versus sweetener, and require the finished product to meet a minimum soluble-solids content of 65 per cent.
That framework is one reason brands often opt for labels such as “spread” when they want a different balance or texture from traditional jam-style products.
This was not the first time a member of the Royal Family was mentioned on EastEnders.
A collection of fruit spreads that can be purchased from Meghan Markle's As Ever brand
|AS EVER
In 2001, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip toured the EastEnders set at Elstree Studios, with Barbara Windsor among the cast members who met Their Late Majesties.
Over two decades later, then-Prince Charles and Camilla appeared as themselves in a special Platinum Jubilee episode in 2022, joining an Albert Square street party.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death, EastEnders also acknowledged the moment on screen, with a tribute scene that aired in September 2022.
The soap returned to royal-event programming in 2023, with a Coronation-themed episode built around King Charles III’s Coronation, again centred on Albert Square celebrations.
EastEnders has also shown it can move quickly when royal headlines break. In 2017, the programme worked in a nod to Prince Harry’s engagement to Meghan, after the news dominated coverage.
In addition, royal milestones have been used as a wider backdrop. BBC programme listings for an April 29, 2011 episode confirm Walford was framed around the day of Prince William and Catherine’s wedding.
Royal moments are national talking points, and dropping them into EastEnders scenes helps place Walford in the same Britain as the viewers.