Is Meghan Markle throwing her famous friend, Nacho Figueras, under the bus?
Meghan’s team most certainly don’t think so, even as a source with inside information told the Daily Beast that she had nothing to do with the professional polo player choosing a questionable time to go on Instagram Stories this past weekend to promote two new products from her fledgling American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand.
On Saturday, the Montecito-based Duchess of Sussex faced fierce backlash after Figueras’ post went up early in the morning U.K. time, about six hours before Meghan’s cancer-stricken sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was set to make her highly anticipated return to public duties at Trooping the Color. Figueras shared several images of a pot of raspberry jam and jar of dog biscuits from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand.
WELLINGTON, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: Nacho Figueras, Delfina Blaquier, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Royal Salute Polo Challenge benefitting Sentebale at Grand Champions Polo Club on April 12, 2024 in Wellington, Florida. The annual Polo Cup has been running since 2010, and to date has raised over £11.4 million to support Sentebale’s work with children and young people affected by poverty, inequality and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)
As the Daily Beast reported, Meghan’s critics and friends of Kate and her husband Prince William suspected that her “fingerprints were all over the affair.” They said it was another example of Meghan or Harry trying to “upstage” their estranged royal relatives by issuing press releases, dropping photos or leaking stories about themselves on or around the same day that their relatives are engaged in high-profile, previously scheduled events.
On Friday, the Princess of Wales released a personal statement, giving the public an update on her health, three months after she announced she had cancer and six months after she retreated from public duties. The princess said on Instagram that she was making “good progress,” though she’s “not out of the woods yet” and her treatment is “ongoing. But she released that she would attend Trooping the Color Saturday.
On Friday night in America, Figueras promoted Meghan’s AOR products on Instagram, with Meghan accused of trying to steal the limelight from her ailing sister-in-law or from her father-in-law’s birthday parade, while he’s also recovering from cancer.
Kate indeed made it to the parade and fly-over Saturday. Her presence generated excited headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. The Telegraph reported she created an “emotional” moment for people in the crowd in London, “and the millions watching at home,” when they saw her riding in a glass coach and smiling with her three children. The future queen also brought “star power” to the balcony at Buckingham Palace, where she joined William and Charles and the rest of the senior working royals, The Telegraph added.
The Daily Beast said it “understands from a source” that Meghan did not order up the post from Figueras, and in fact had no input over when, if or how he would post.
The Daily Beast also reported that there’s always a risk in user-led social media campaigns, because it means that an influencer like Meghan has to cede control over the context and timing of posts. It would be especially difficult for Meghan to tell Figueras when or what to post about her, when celebrities like him “might not react well to having their posts micro-managed,” the Daily Beast said.
One marketing expert told The Daily Beast that Meghan probably sent out gift packages with notes, asking for media coverage. But the expert said, “You can’t tell Nacho Figueras what to do, so I think it’s certain the timing of his post was his own idea.”
Meanwhile, this expert has mixed thoughts on Meghan’s AOR social media campaign thus far. On one hand, the expert called it “phenomenally successful” and said it “cost Meghan nothing.” In April, she created tons of media buzz and brand awareness by sending jars from a limited batch of strawberry jam to famous friends. Some, including Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, boasted online that they had received one of the 50 jars.
“It is a textbook social media campaign,” the expert told the Daily Beast. Other marketing experts would say that Figueras still succeeded in helping her generate buzz for her next flavor of jam. The negative backlash was accompanied by Meghan’s fans saying they were excited for the day that they could purchase one of her American Riviera Orchard jams themselves.
On the other hand, the Daily Beast expert pointed out that the luxury lifestyle brand still doesn’t seem to have any products to sell; it’s website only consists of a landing page.
“The only problem is that there still seems to be nothing actually for sale, so what is it all for?” the expert said. “I guess we will find out.”