Meghan Markle has left fans scratching their heads after sharing a new promotional video for her lifestyle brand, As Ever, with many admitting they have “no idea” what she’s trying to sell.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram on Thursday with a polished campaign clip showing her wandering through a garden carrying a wicker basket overflowing with neatly arranged fruit and vegetables before posing with a cup of tea.
Dressed in a blue-striped shirt, white trousers and wearing a large statement ring on her right hand, Meghan smiles for the camera as birds chirp in the background.
“A basket full of summer,” Markle captioned the video.
However, many viewers felt the advert focused more on Meghan herself than on any of As Ever’s products.
“Meghan Markle released the most BIZARRE Instagram video with many people wondering why? What is she doing? What is she selling?” one user wrote.
Another added: “What the hell is this lol? At this point she has to be trolling us!”
Others questioned Meghan’s modelling poses, with royal biographer Angela Levin writing: “What are her weird expressions supposed to be about?”
A second commenter said: “If people are talking more about the poses and camera angles than the tea or jam, the marketing MISSED the mark.”
“Can someone please explain to this woman she is not a supermodel and we’ve seen the same basket of vegetables 50 times,” a third wrote.
“This was obviously taped months ago.”
Some viewers also dissected the contents of Meghan’s basket, arguing several of the fruit and vegetables appeared to be out of season or looked unnaturally pristine.
“I think we all know this is staged for many reasons but what’s weird is how the basket appears to contain produce with different natural harvest windows,” one user wrote.
The commenter went on to question the apples, pears, artichokes and citrus, suggesting they did not all align with Southern California’s late-June growing season.
They also noted the produce looked unusually clean and perfectly arranged, adding that freshly harvested vegetables would normally show signs of soil, insect bites or natural imperfections.
“One can only wonder what Meghan believes is going to come from wandering around a garden (that’s probably not hers) with a basket of fruit and veg that has no damaged leaves, insect bites, or imperfect vegetables because she bought them.”
Elsewhere, some fans claimed Meghan’s statement ring bore a striking resemblance to the late Princess Diana’s iconic sapphire engagement ring, now owned by Princess Catherine.
“Meghan Markle’s latest ‘As Ever’ video shows her wearing a new ring that resembles Princess Diana and Princess Catherine’s engagement ring! What the F????” one user wrote.
The latest promotional push comes during a challenging period for As Ever.
Insiders have claimed the brand could face bankruptcy “by the end of the year”, with predicted losses of around AU$7 million.
While As Ever’s launch in April 2025 saw its products sell out almost immediately, Newsweek reported the brand’s website traffic has since fallen, citing data that showed US visitors dropped by 33 per cent between January and April 2026 to just under 400,000.
Speaking to Bloomberg last year, Meghan said the business dramatically expanded production after its initial success.
“Suddenly the conversation goes from at the start of this year, talking about a few thousands jars and lids to, ‘We need to do a purchase order of a million’,” she said.
“And that’s a huge jump in just a few months of starting a business.”
Journalist Alison Boshoff has since claimed As Ever is facing a “looming crisis”, alleging products including jams, teas and flower sprinkles are struggling to sell before their expiry dates.
“Our analysis of her recent sales figures indicates that there’s more chance of King Charles taking a swim in a pool of her homemade conserve than her selling all her stock in time,” Boshoff wrote.
The scrutiny comes just weeks before Meghan, Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are expected to travel to the UK for the Invictus Games one-year-to-go event in Birmingham.
The visit will mark Meghan and the children’s first trip to Britain since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.
Speaking on The Royalist podcast, royal biographer Tom Bower claimed Meghan’s return was intended to “restore the credibility she once had”.
He also suggested the timing may be linked to the winding down of the couple’s major streaming deals, adding that, in his opinion, their “finances are basically in jeopardy over the long term.”