Meghan Markle is branded 'disturbingly insensitive' over latest As Ever release
On Tuesday, Meghan Markle released her much-anticipated As Ever rosé wine to the public - but according to experts, releasing it on July 1, Princess Diana's birthday, was a 'disturbingly insensitive' move.Of course, Princess Diana was the mother of Meghan's husband, Prince Harry. She died in a fatal car crash in August 1997 after being chased by paparazzi. The driver of the car, Henri Paul, was later found to be inebriated.Strangely enough, July 1 also marks the day when Prince Harry first messaged Meghan.Despite the overlap, Meghan didn't seem to pay public tribute to either milestone - deciding not to mention them as she posted about her new rosé on social media.Sales for the wine went live at 8 a.m. PT, with customers able to purchase three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159 and 12 bottles for $300. If you bought the six bottle package, Meghan promised a discount of 12 percent off, while ordering a 12-pack gets you a 17 percent saving.The Daily Mail exclusively revealed this week that the beverage is made by Fairwinds Estate, a California winery that creates bespoke wines for celebrities, adding Meghan to their list of clients.But the release date sparked some outrage from Princess Diana fans who took to X to share their thoughts. On Tuesday, Meghan Markle released her much-anticipated As Ever rosé wine to the public - but according to experts, the July 1 release, which coincides with Princess Diana's birthday, was a 'disturbingly insensitive' move Princess Diana was the mother of Meghan's husband, Prince Harry, and his estranged brother, Prince William Though, strangely enough, July 1 also marks the day when Prince Harry first messaged Meghan'It's too disturbing to keep seeing that Meghan used Princess Diana's birthday as the release date for her wine. It's really horrible that she did that,' one person wrote.Another typed, 'Meghan Markle is launching a rosé wine on July 1 (Princess Diana's birthday) as a "tribute" to Harry's mother. Has she forgotten that Diana's chauffeur was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit when she was killed? Could there be a more inappropriate tribute?'And now royal expert Kinsey Schofield has agreed, as she told the Daily Mail exclusively that the announcement felt quite 'inappropriate.''Launching an alcoholic product on Princess Diana's birthday is not just tone-deaf... it's disturbingly insensitive,' Schofield, who is the host of Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, told the Daily Mail.'Princess Diana died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. That fact alone should have ruled out any association between her memory and the marketing of alcohol,' she continued.The royal expert said that the move felt 'careless.'Schofield also noted the fact that, over the years, Meghan has paid tribute to Diana in various ways, like wearing a pair of butterfly-shaped gold earrings that belonged to the late royal on a four-day tour of Colombia last year, and even sporting Diana's Cartier Tank Française watch that Prince Harry gave to her.In the past, Prince Harry has even compared Meghan to his late mother, and she admitted during a recent podcast appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima Show that she wished she could have met Diana. Royal expert Kinsey Schofield seemed to agree, as she told the Daily Mail exclusively that Meghan choosing to launch the wine on Diana's birthday felt 'almost cruel in its carelessness' The sales for the wine went live at 8 a.m. PT, with customers able to purchase three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159 and 12 bottles for $300Schofield believes Meghan would have known it was Diana's birthday on July 1. 'Diana was hounded to her death by paparazzi. She got into a car with a drunk driver,' Schofield said.'And now, on the anniversary of her birth, that trauma is being casually overshadowed by a celebrity wine drop,' she continued.The royal expert pointed out that she believes there are 'endless ways' to honor the legacy of Diana, and launching a wine is not one of them. While the decision to launch the wine on Diana's birthday was an 'unfortunate miscalculation,' other experts believe that it's not one that will necessarily affect her brand negatively.'Meghan had 364 other days to pick for her wine launch, but happened to have chosen Diana's birthday,' Ryan McCormick, co-founder and media relations specialist at Goldman McCormick Public Relations, exclusively told the Daily Mail. 'It seems to be an unfortunate miscalculation but, metaphysically interesting as the Duchess appears to manifest new controversies with such ease,' he continued.'I don't think Markle will endure short and long term setbacks because of this choice,' he shared. 'However, it does add on to an evidently growing pile of mistakes that can give consumers a reason to pause or dissuade them from purchasing As Ever products.' But while the decision to launch the wine on Diana's birthday was an 'unfortunate miscalculation,' other experts believe that it's not one that will necessarily affect her brand negatively The wine, along with her jam and honey, all sold out within a few hoursThere's one silver lining here: the Duchess' products are selling out quickly.Both the wine and her raspberry spread (which dropped in the spring) sold out within a few hours.McCormick called Meghan's As Ever items flying off e-commerce shelves 'very positive.''Future controversies appear to be almost guaranteed,' he said. Still, he believes the brand will retain its fanbase, 'unless Meghan does something completely outrageous (ex. caught on camera berating a staff member) or the quality of her products substantially diminish.' Meghan's wine launch is her second consumer product drop in just a matter of weeks.She released a new apricot spread and limited-edition orange blossom honey on June 20.
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