A royal commentator has slammed Meghan Markle for her lifestyle brand's newest product and claimed that "selling jam is not going to get her anywhere."
The Duchess of Sussex launched a new lifestyle brand, which gave the public a taste of the products it will be producing, as she sent jars of strawberry jam to influencers across the US.
Speaking to GB News, former BBC Royal correspondent Michael Cole said: "This is getting very serious.
"And of course her mates, she's got some interesting friends, Melissa McCarthy, who is an actress or something, is sticking up for good old Meghan.
Michael Cole said 'she's got to capitalize on her royal status'
GB News
"She said that Meghan's a woman of her own. But other friends of the great Meghan have taken the contrary view and think that going down this route of selling jam is not going to get her anywhere in life.
"The fact of the matter is, Martin, she's got to make money. She's got to capitalise on her royal status. And so she has set up this blog, this lifestyle channel."
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The Duchess of Sussex sent friends the limited-edition jar ahead of the formal launch of her brand later this spring with a range of items.
The majority of the 50 recipients have yet to publicly acknowledge they received the jam.
However, Meghan's Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, 42, did post the jam on Instagram after she was one of the lucky 50 to receive a limited edition jar of the product from American Riviera Orchard.
Spencer was gifted the sixth jar in the batch, which she revealed in an over-the-top photoshoot that saw her reclining in the grass with the jam.
Meghan has launched a lifestyle brand
ReutersThe actress appears to still be a close member of Meghan's inner circle, while several former co-stars have been notably cut from the royal's life in recent years.
Smiling in a sunny garden with her dog, the Grey's Anatomy star displayed the ceramic bowl for all to see.
She captioned the post: "This jam is my jam. A delicious taste of what’s to come indeed… love you so M."
Some fans appeared sceptical of the photo shoot, with one user branding it "embarrassing".
Meghan's logo can be seen on the duchess's first product strawberry jamInstagramAnother said: "Not even an attempt to remove the c****y lemons and dead flowers? It's like a cheap farmers market basket."
Similarly, someone added: "Are you sure you want to eat that jam?"
However, Spencer's post was approved by others, including actress Mindy Kaling who commented it was "like an ad for sunshine and happiness".
American jewellery designer Maya Brenner, whose brand became famous worldwide when Meghan was spotted wearing a necklace with an "M" and "H" charm back in 2016, also commented on Abigail's post.
She said: "This is just the prettiest pic. And our Love Retreat necklace collaboration making an appearance."