In a bit of refined and genteel online gamesmanship, the British version of the domain name Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is using for her new branding venture carries a message of support for Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Meghan recently announced the brand American Riviera Orchard, which led to a bit of fun from someone who bought the British version of the name.
The home page at americanrivieriaorchard.uk states, “Forgiveness. Permission. Please donate to the Trussell Trust,” which seeks food for Britain’s homeless. Clicking on the link provided on the page leads one to a Just Giving page for donations, with a special message.
“This is not meghan but hopefully meghan wouldn’t mind. thoughts with catherine, princess of wales and his majesty the king,” the message said. Kate announced in March she had been diagnosed with cancer; King Charles III had announced his cancer diagnosis weeks earlier.
“Please note, the purchase of the americanrivieraorchard.uk domain name and this justgiving page are the full extent of this exclusively charitable mission. someone else is flogging the tea towels!” the site said.
The curious exploring americanrivieraorchard.com will be allowed to enter an email for a waitlist.
The trick has brought in about $23,842 to the Trussel Trust as of Sunday morning.
“The charity is not connected with this website domain, and [we] have no knowledge of who set it up,” said Sophie Carre, a representative of the Trussell Trust, according to the New York Post,
“In line with the Commission’s guidance, we are unable to reject donations unless they meet specific requirements. As the website clearly states that the donations are in aid of the Trussell Trust, the money raised would not meet the requirements for rejection.”
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“All donations received by the Trussell Trust are invested into supporting our work to end the need for food banks in the U.K.,” she said.
Kinsey Schofield, who hosts a podcast called “To Di For Daily,” said Meghan’s latest money-making venture was bad timing, according to Fox News.
“Her ultimate objective today is to build an empire, change public perception through related Netflix content, and build a lifestyle brand through retail and content creation,” Schofield said.
“But some might see it as Meghan just reverting back to influencer. This is a space that she feels confident in, so she could make it work, but compared to the hype that surrounded her upon exiting the royal family … this feels like settling for something very … shallow.”
“Had Meghan had patience and more respect for the royal institution, 2024 would have been the year that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle saved the day, saved the monarchy,” Schofield said. “It would have been their time to shine. Instead, Meghan is dropping off preserve baskets to the 1 percent in Santa Barbara. So much for living a life of service.”
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich said the venture is a far cry from the 2021 vow by Meghan and Prince Harry: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
“The former power couple, who were going to change lives for the better, influence world opinion and leaders, improve the environment and declared their life of service with their ‘service is universal’ statement, are now reduced to flogging jam,” Fordwich said.
“Since they have publicly preached humanitarianism, what happened to helping the poor and starving?” she said. “One wonders if the proceeds from the jam will be donated to humanitarian causes. Is she going to feed them her jam? In keeping with their charitable and humanitarian causes, perhaps all the proceeds will be donated?”
