(NewsNation) — Kudos to Meghan Sussex (nee Markle).
Prince Harry’s wife, who is leaning into her royal title, the Duchess of Sussex (despite loathing the royal family), debuted her As Ever product line and sold out of her $28 jars of honey, $14 jams, $12 teas and $15 dried flowers within an hour Wednesday.
And while more products are in the works, insiders were skeptical about the “limited edition” selling out so fast.
“Limited Edition means, not many products were available — it was a test drive,” one industry insider told me.
‘It’s all about perception’ with Meghan Markle: Insider
“It’s all about perception with her — a little smoke and mirrors,” my industry insider said. “Like Netflix announcing a ‘second season’ of her show (‘With Love, Meghan’) when it was already shot and contractually built in. It’s not like they actually re-signed her and shot a whole new season. It’s the same thing here. Of course you can sell out of anything if there’s scarcity of product. It’s like saying the Loro Piana sweater Meghan owns sold out after she wore it on her show — well they only make like five of them!”
There is no way of knowing how many teas, jams and honey jars were made — and Markle is not letting people know which factory made them (most factories make similar products for many companies — it would be embarrassing to find out, say, that Markle’s $14 raspberry jam in keepsake packaging was made for another company at half the price).
Either way, most of the products are overpriced, even for the luxury market… similar “organic” dried edible flowers can be found on Amazon for $5 cheaper.
Meghan Markle’s business venture ‘logistical nightmare’: Report
”That’s probably where she got them from and just repackaged them and put her name on it like she did with the pretzels (on her show),” the insider sniffed.
Markle took heat for opening a bag of supermarket peanut butter pretzels — putting them in a clear plastic bag, sealing it with a bow and putting a handwritten label on the bag for a guest.
Meanwhile, Netflix staffers working on the product line are starting to grumble, complaining Markle’s business venture is a “logistical nightmare,” according to the Daily Mail.
“The buying team are having an issue as they can’t work out what the demand will be, if any,” the source told the Daily Mail.
The PR team is in full motion, however, as The New York Times published a puff piece entitled, “Inside Meghan’s Real Kitchen, Away From the Cameras — Cooking with the Duchess of Sussex as she navigates her rebrand from recovering royal to domestic goddess,” and Meghan has a slew of friends set to cover social media with her products.
Netflix 
FILE – Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, speaks during South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas, on March 8, 2024. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File) 
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were in New York City to accept the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award on Dec. 6, 2022. (Ted Shaffrey, Associated Press file) 
FILE – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pose for pictures after visiting the observatory in One World Trade in New York, Sept. 23, 2021.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) 
Meghan Markle arrives at the Paley Honors Fall Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) 
FILE – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, arrives at the Invictus Games venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, April 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File) 
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 15: Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the ‘Responsible Digital Future’ forum at EAN University in Bogota, Colombia on August 15, 2024. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle land in Colombia to join Marquez in discussions with women and youth on combating discrimination and cyberbullying. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 15: Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Delia Zapata Art Center in Bogota, Colombia on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
ABUJA, NIREGIA – MAY 11: Britain’s Prince Harry (R), Duke of Sussex, and Britain’s Meghan (L), Duchess of Sussex, attend an exhibition sitting volleyball match at Nigeria Unconquered, a community-based charitable organization dedicated to aiding wounded, injured, or sick servicemembers, as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary in Abuja, Nigeria on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 03: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service. (Photo by Matt Dunham – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
”I kind of hope this works out for her,” said a publishing insider. “She’s kind of blowing her wad all at once. The New York Times piece was a bit of a shock — they normally don’t glad hand like that — but you can be sure: They won’t do it again.”
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