Meghan Markle Stung! King Charles Unleashes Secret 'Royal Bees' Product to Counter Reports of Duchess' Wine Launch
News of Meghan Markle's American Riviera Orchard releasing a line of wine products was tampered with by the "out of nowhere" promotion of King Charles' new Highgrove Royal Estate Honey. This follows a similar pattern from April when the Duchess of Sussex's strawberry jam hit the news next to reports of the monarch's organic jelly posting huge sales.
"This beautifully delicate Highgrove Organic Royal Estate Honey is ideal for toast and breakfast treats," the promotional advert for the sovereign's new line of organics stated. "Produced from pollen collected by the myriad of bees who all live in the exclusively commissioned traditional British double-walled beehives on the estate; each hive has its own specific design and took almost a year to construct by hand."
The statement added: "The bees in the spring work the hedgerows of Highgrove Gardens and, in late June to early July, forage on the avenue of limes. The organic soft-set honey makes a fantastic gourmet gift for food lovers with its distinctive lime flavor."
A jar of His Majesty's honey costs 25 pounds.
The monarch has long sold a line of organic products from his Duchy Originals line, starting when he was Prince of Wales in the 1990s. In 2010, his company went into partnership with Waitrose, a line of British supermarkets that sell the products. The King's Highgrove Organic Strawberry Preserve retails for roughly $8.60 and was reportedly sold out within minutes of Meghan's first announcement of her strawberry jam in mid-March.
The ex-actress' first product from her brand, American Rivera Orchard, was likely promoted with so few jars of the jelly to "create hype," PR expert Megan Boyle dished at the time.
"The suggestion that the jam has only been sent to 50 people creates demand and interest," she told an outlet. "It may have been a low-key launch, but it perfectly aligns with the softer and homely approach of those celebrities on the receiving end. Meghan will have put a great deal of thought into who receives a jar, and individually numbering shows that it’s limited edition, but also doesn't leave people feeling left out."
Throughout the product sales back and forth between his dad and wife, Prince Harry apparently wants no part of either new brand's promotional campaign, which one royal insider says comes from "his many years of not selling or promoting himself to embarrass the Crown."
"Harry thinks the new brand is a great idea because it’s Meghan’s idea – he’s still so loved up that she can do no wrong in his eyes," royal author Tom Quinn dished. "But we have to remember that he grew up in a family that would’ve looked down on this kind of commercial enterprise, so there is a part of Harry that’s uncomfortable, which is why we are unlikely to see Harry personally baking cakes or demonstrating kitchen utensils."
GBN reported on King Charles' honey.