Now Meghan Markle’s new brand is hijacked on Instagram as copycat flogs £17 ‘royal wealth’ towel after domain snapped up
MEGHAN Markle’s new lifestyle brand has already been hijacked by a rival using her American Riviera Orchard title to flog tea towels.
An Instagram page and website calling itself ARO American Riviera Orchard claims to be in Meghan and Harry’s LA enclave of Montecito.
The page is selling a £17 towel called RoyalWealth Empowering Women’s Financial Sovereignty.
The social media page has already attracted thousands of followers and features recipes, crafting tips like flower pressing and gardening ideas all filmed at a high-end property.
Meghan has yet to go live on her new venture with a range of products but has gifted jars of jam to close pals in the US.
And she has filed papers with the US Patent and Trademark Office for legal protection to market a range of lifestyle products, foods and homewares like crockery and tea towels.
Attorneys at the government department are yet to rubberstamp her application for a trademark.
It comes after a puzzling message was left for Meghan when the UK domain name for her website was snapped up.
The Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle brand has been hijacked by a mystery buyer – who appears to be a fan of Princess Kate.
The US link takes users to Meghan’s website, but the UK version – “americanrivieraorchard.uk” – has been bought by someone who has then linked it to a food bank.
Visitors are asked for donations to the UK-based charity and a message adds: “Thoughts with Catherine.”
The home page states: “Forgiveness. Permission. Please donate to the Trussell Trust”.
Clicking on this link leads to a Just Giving fundraiser for the Trussell Trust charity.
A cryptic message says: “Not Meghan. hope Meghan wouldn’t mind. thoughts with catherine X.”
Other messages add “forgiveness” and “permission”.
It comes after the Princess of Wales revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer last month.
It is unclear who has bought the UK domain.
The Trussell Trust has confirmed it did not set up the webpage and is not aware of the site.
MEG A MOVE
The link has already received a flurry of donations, expressing praise for Kate and the Trust with messages such as: “We Stand With Catherine”, and: “Just love what you did here!”
The page has so far raised £56 of its £1,000 target.
A donor wrote: “I am happy to support from across the pond and am glad to know of this organization through the link on the American Riviera Orchards website.”
Another added: “A really good way of bringing attention to the great work they do.”
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks, providing emergency food and support to people facing hardship, and campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.
The anonymous JustGiving page added: “We can create a future where nobody goes hungry, because nobody will allow it – when we work Together for Change.”
Meghan carried out a soft launch of the first product from her new business venture this week, a limited edition jar of strawberry jam.
In March the duchess announced her project with a teaser video, showing her cooking and arranging white hydrangeas and roses.