A first glimpse of the new business venture from the Duchess of Sussex has been teased on social media, with pictures of a jar of strawberry jam.
In a bid to preserve a sense of mystery, the jam from the new American Riviera Orchard brand seemed to be spread among friends and influencers. Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam on Instagram.
It was numbered “17 of 50”, suggesting the number of recipients of this first fruit of the new business. The arrival of Meghan's new California-based lifestyle brand had been signalled on social media last month and this suggests that it will be selling food products.
There seemed to be have been something of a re-launch for Meghan and husband Prince Harry's brands and businesses this year, beginning with the overhaul of their regal-looking website under the sussex.com label.
Their latest projects seem to be moving away from a previous focus on their time as working royals, such as their Netflix film Harry and Meghan and Prince Harry's memoir Spare. The hint about the strawberry jam from Meghan's American Riviera Orchard brand seems to fit with the couple's latest Netflix plans.
Meghan is going to launch a Netflix show which will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship”. Prince Harry will be involved in another Netflix venture showing the inside track on the world of polo. That's the equestrian sport, not the mints.
Delfina Blaquier, married to Prince Harry's polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras, also posted a picture of the new jam, with hers labelled “10 of 50”. The social media trail for American Riviera Orchard evokes a sense of the couple's home in California – and this soft launch for the jam show pictures of the jars in a sunny basket of lemons.
It's not known how much items from the new lifestyle brand will cost.
Although there are already plenty of other royals getting into jams. Visitors to the gift shops in royal palaces can get a Buckingham Palace Strawberry Preserve for £3.95 or Windsor Castle Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, also for £3.95.
On both sides of the Atlantic they seem to be conserving their finances.
