Why do royal fans think Meghan Markle and Buckingham Palace are in a battle over jam? Here's the drama, explained.
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- Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand, American Riviera, unveiled its first product: strawberry jam.
- Buckingham Palace advertised its strawberry preserve on Instagram on Wednesday.
- Some royal fans think Buckingham Palace's post might be a subtle jab against Markle.
Some royal fans think the Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace are in a jam — specifically strawberry.
Speculation that Buckingham Palace and Meghan Markle might be battling it out via fruit preserves began on Wednesday.
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The tumultuous relationship between Markle and members of the British royal family became a hot topic after she married Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in May 2018.
Reports about tensions between Markle and members of the British royal family have quieted down, but some online users think Buckingham Palace might have thrown a subtle jab.
Here's what happened.
Markle debuted a lifestyle brand — American Riviera Orchard — in March and later unveiled its first product
Markle launched the official website and Instagram for American Riviera Orchard in March. Neither the Instagram account nor the website have additional product details, but celebrities and influencers began touting the brand's strawberry jam in April.
Fashion designer Tracy Robbins and photographer Delfina Blaqier were the first to show off the strawberry jam samples on Instagram Stories, according to Variety.
Chrissy Teigen took it a step further by sharing a video on Instagram of her using the jam for a recipe.
"This might have been one of the best bites we've had all year," she wrote in the caption.
The outlet reported that celebrities like Mindy Kaling and Tracee Ellis Ross were also among the recipients.
Buckingham Palace recently advertised its own strawberry preserve on Instagram
The official Buckingham Palace Shop Instagram account shared an advertisement for its strawberry preserve on Wednesday, about one week after people began receiving samples from America Riviera Orchard.
"Our Strawberry Preserve is made using only the finest berries and is delicious served in a variety of ways," the caption read.
It didn't take long for online users to draw comparisons between Buckingham Palace and American Riviera Orchard. Some suggested that Buckingham Palace might have been shading Markle and her brand.
"Did the Palace just subtly troll Ms. Montecito?!" one person wrote.
"I'm dying at the timings of this ad," another added.
Some users criticized Buckingham Palace, with one person writing: "Poor taste. In many aspects."
American Riviera Orchard and Buckingham Palace haven't commented on the speculation
Representatives for Markle and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
They also haven't publicly addressed the speculation.
More recently, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III is preparing to return to public-facing royal duties following his cancer diagnosis in January. The 75-year-old is expected to visit a cancer treatment center with Queen Camilla on April 30 and host Japan's royals in June.