‘Rip-off': Meghan Markle's pricey tea sparks outrage over cheap supplier
Meghan Markle has been branded 'Meghan Mark-up' after it emerged she is selling her herbal tea for three times the price.
Meg's tea costing AU$17 for a dozen bags sold out within minutes of being restocked on her As Ever website last week.
It can now be revealed that Meghan sourced her ingredients from American firm The Republic of Tea.
But the company sells its comparable tea for between AU$17 and AU$21 for 36 tea bags – meaning Meg's offerings will set you back three times as much.
Sources close to Meghan confirm Republic of Tea is her supplier but insist her blend is 'different' to what they offer.
Royal expert Margaret Holder said: 'Customers are paying a considerable increase for Meghan's label.
'She is taking advantage of celebrity branding. But it's a case of Meghan Mark-up not Meghan Markle.'
The Duchess restocked her Herbal Hibiscus Tea and Herbal Lemon Tea last Friday for AU$17 for 12 tea bags.
They sold out within hours along with her AU$23 flower sprinkles and AU$43 limited edition orange blossom honey.
But internet sleuths scoured the page source of the As Ever website tea and found the brand was listed as The Republic of Tea.
Since it emerged online and on social media the brand has been changed to 'As Ever store'.
The Republic of Tea sells a vast range of teas included one branded from Netflix show Bridgerton and ITV series Downton Abbey.
Its headquarters are in California but factory is 2,000 miles away in Nashville, Illinois.
As Ever has also launched its first alcoholic beverage with a 2023 Rose.
The booze is set to be available from July 1 which has raised eyebrows as would have been Princess Diana's 64th birthday.
Ex-palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter, speaking on The Sun's show Royal Exclusive, said: 'I don't think we should be surprised that anything she does and as far as bringing out a wine, it's going to sell for something like £20 or 28 US dollars (AU$43). It's a lot of money.'
'And if you're going to go into that sort of business, you've got to produce a lot of wine to make money. If her jam is anything to go by, it's going to be sold out in about ten minutes.
'How many bottles is she producing? Who's producing it? She's not a wine expert. So, you know why go into something that you probably know nothing about?'
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan declined to comment.
This comes as eagle-eyed royal fans have spotted a surprising blunder in Meghan latest Instagram post – despite the Duchess being praised for her 'attention to detail'.
The photo, posted on the official Instagram page of her lifestyle brand appears to be a heartfelt thankyou to followers.
But the image, believed to be taken in Meghan's kitchen in Montecito, California, seems to have accidentally revealed more than intended.
At first glance, the post looks polished and charming.
A handwritten note sits neatly in the centre of the picture on a marble work top, reading: 'You're beautiful. Full stop.'
The note is surrounded by sprigs of thyme, two eggs, a rolling pin and scattered flour, with Meghan's hand peeking into the bottom left corner of the image.
However, fans quickly noticed something that seemed out of place – a small black mouse cursor just above Meghan's hand on the left edge of the picture.
The digital slip suggests the image may have been taken as a screen grab, rather than a fresh photograph.
And, royal experts have claimed the Duchess is 'social mountaineering' herself to the top but has a lack of 'authenticity.'
Their comments came off the back of the mum-of-two being interviewed by 'self-made' Emma Grede, co-founder of Skims with Kim Kardashian and podcast host for Aspire.
The two women sat down for a chat, covering family life for Meghan and Prince Harry as well as her ventures after leaving the royal family.
Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, news commentator Samara Gill said: 'It was like the lack of authenticity in that interview was really palpable.
'Emma Greed, who was the interviewer, she's such a self-made East Londoner who actually really fought for what she has.
'She's really the brains behind a lot of big brands, the Kardashians etc, which is a little bit tawdry, but you know she really is someone who worked her way to be there.
'Meghan on the other hand really socially mountaineered her way to the top.
'So it's very difficult to take this authentic side that Emma was giving and this complete lack of authenticity that Meghan was showing in the interview, it was very hard to watch.'
Royal author and broadcaster Hugo Vickers agreed, saying: 'The thing is, would nobody ever listen to Meghan Markle if it wasn't the fact she'd married Prince Harry?
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