The Duchess of Sussex is slowly launching American Riviera Orchard, and as I’ve said before, I’m just as interested in the process as the products she will sell. I don’t think Meghan does anything half-assed, but I do wonder about the strategy at play, especially with the soft-launch of the Instagram account and, just this week, the small-batch jam gift baskets to friends. I guess my point is that Meghan and her ARO team seem to know what they’re doing, and I would assume that they didn’t buy an “American Riviera Orchard” UK domain name on purpose. Which left americanrivieraorchard.uk up for grabs. Some Deranger bought that domain name and redirected it to a page asking for donations to the Trussell Trust:
The Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle brand has been hijacked by a fan of the Princess of Wales. The UK domain name for her new business, American Riviera Orchard, has been purchased by someone who has linked it to the Trussell Trust charity.
While the main American web link is still operating as normal, those clicking on the link americanrivieraorchard.uk are directed to a page asking for donations for the UK-based anti-poverty charity and community food bank.
The home page states: “Forgiveness. Permission. Please donate to the Trussell Trust.” A message on the JustGiving page reads: “not meghan. hope meghan wouldn’t mind. thoughts with catherine. X”
It goes on to explain the premise of the Trussell Trust, which provides practical support to those who cannot afford essentials and campaigns for a future where nobody will require emergency food services.
The page says that it is aiming to raise £1,000. As of Thursday morning, it had amassed £56 in donations.
A Trussell Trust spokesman said: “It’s not something that we have any knowledge of.”
“As of Thursday morning, it had amassed £56 in donations.” *sad clown noise* Yikes, what a self-own by that Deranger. Made worse by the fact that the princess they worship isn’t even the patron of The Trussell Trust, and The Trussell Trust wants nothing to do with any part of this scheme – I’m including some of their tweets below. How pathetic is this story all around? Like… these desperados think it’s some kind of gotcha that Meghan didn’t buy an ARO.uk domain name, and they thought they could really own Meghan by redirecting the site to a charity… and they only got a measly £56 in donations. Please. I would laugh but this is so embarrassing for everyone in the UK.
Hi, we are not associated with this website domain. We weren’t aware of the website prior to it going live and have not had any direct contact with the person who set it up.
The Princess of Wales is not our patron.
We’re grateful to people who are able to support our work to…
— The Trussell Trust (@TrussellTrust) April 18, 2024
Hi, we are not associated with this website domain. We weren’t aware of the website prior to it going live and have not had any direct contact with the person who set it up. We’re grateful to people who are able to support our work to end the need for food banks in the UK.
— The Trussell Trust (@TrussellTrust) April 18, 2024
Photos courtesy of Instar, Backgrid, Avalon Red.