The Duchess and the Queen! Palace furious after Meghan Markle gets Oprah Winfrey to promote her coffee brand
Royal insiders have claimed that Meghan Markle has "angered the Palace" by getting Oprah Winfrey to promote her coffee brand on social media. Speaking to The Mirror, royal sources said there were "more than a few raised eyebrows" in Buckingham Palace after it came to light that the Duchess of Sussex had invested in an oat-milk latte start-up, Clevr Blends.
Prince Harry and Meghan had announced their plans to become "financially independent" after quitting the Royal Family in January. However, they had also vowed to continue to "uphold the values of Her Majesty." It is being said that Meghan is "building a portfolio of startup investments" and sent a package of coffee samples to her high-profile pal Oprah Winfrey earlier this week. The 66-year-old TV host subsequently took to Instagram to thank a mystery neighbor named "M" for the basketful of latte mixes.
"On the first day of Christmas, my neighbor 'M' sent to me... a basket of deliciousness! (Yes that M) My new drink of choice for the morning and night," Oprah wrote. "Wish I had @clevrblends sooner cause I would've added it to my Favorite Things list. #HappyHolidays." The veteran TV personality didn't reveal any other hints to the neighbor's identity, but she did add a crown emoji after writing, “Yes that M."
"It is hard to see how emojis apparently trading on royal connections is respecting the values of the royal family," a royal source told The Mirror. "When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back as senior royals in order to become financially independent it was always going to be a balancing act. But what is clear are the promises made at the time to uphold the values of Her Majesty and the Crown, that neither party should be trading on their royal connections to benefit financially or risk bringing the Crown into disrepute."
Advertising rules in the UK dictate that any gifted items must be labeled with a "#ad". That said, it's unlikely that Oprah was paid to promote the product.
It's worth noting that Meghan and Harry are now neighbors with Oprah after the couple snapped up a lavish $14.7 million property in Santa Barbara, California. According to The Sun, Oprah is known to be close with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and even secured an invite to their royal wedding in 2018.
Harry is reportedly working with Oprah on a new TV series for Apple TV focusing on mental health. The production will also feature A-list stars such as Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and aims to "inspire viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges each of us faces".
This comes after rumors that Oprah would bag the royal couple's first sit-down interview after they stepped back from the royal duties in March and relocated to the US. However, a rep for Oprah has denied any discussions for an interview. "Meghan and Harry do not need my help figuring out what’s best for them," the TV host previously said. "I care about them both and support whatever decisions they make for their family," she added.