Next week, the Duchess of Sussex will launch her first-ever As Ever wine, a special Napa Valley rosé. I’m really excited for Meghan, even if I’m not going to buy her wine! I don’t drink anymore, but back in the day, I enjoyed a cheap, light white wine or rose. I’d be willing to bet that Meghan’s wine sells out in record time, and I’d also be willing to bet that if she really goes for a serious wine line, she’ll mint money. That’s what they’re afraid of too – that everything Meghan does is a huge success, and entering the alcohol business is going to take As Ever to the next level. So that’s why they’re choosing to focus on the launch date for Meghan’s As Ever wine: July 1st. Princess Diana’s birthday. Incidentally, that’s also the date of the first time Meghan and Harry spoke (on the phone). Harry wrote about that in Spare – that he felt like Meghan came into his life on Diana’s birthday for a reason. But please, allow the Daily Mail to throw a hissy fit:
Earlier this week, Meghan Markle made the grand announcement she would soon be launching her lifestyle brand’s first ever wine. The Duchess of Sussex, who revealed her love of a tipple on her recent Netflix show, has unveiled her first foray into the market with a Napa Valley rosé wine.
It is sourced from the famous region of California, up the west coast from her Montecito mansion, and has been described as having ‘soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality and a lasting finish’. But the piece of information about the wine that piqued the interest of most royal watchers was not the ‘bespoke blend’ of flavours, it was the date they would be hitting shelves.
Described by the brand as ‘launching just in time for summer entertaining’, it will be available to buy on July 1.
However there is just one major problem, as was quickly pointed out by hundreds of people on social media, because that is the day Princess Diana would have turned 64. Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter replied to the post on social media with exasperation by simply writing: ‘July 1st, Diana’s birthday…’.
A slew of royal fans also complained at the timing, with one claiming Meghan was ‘literally dining out on Diana’s memory’, and another said the choice was ‘tacky’. And although the price tag of the wine is yet to be confirmed, another royal watcher claimed: ‘She is using Diana to flog cheap wine.’
‘Nothing if not predictable by now,’ said another, as one chimed in ‘she is incredibly tone-deaf’.
The Sussexes have long shown little respect for the tightly regulated royal calendar and would regularly make news while other members of the family were on engagements – a big royal no-no. Meghan didn’t mention the late royal in her post announcing the wine, but the Duchess has previously spoken about her late mother-in-law, describing her as ‘someone I wish I’d had the chance to know’.
I think these “critics” would have a better case if Meghan had referenced Diana in any way, shape or form in the As Ever announcement? While I’m sure Meghan is aware of the significance of July 1st in general, it’s also just… her production timeline for As Ever, and it’s not like every single person associated with the royal family has to sit quietly and never do anything on that date. “The Sussexes have long shown little respect for the tightly regulated royal calendar and would regularly make news while other members of the family were on engagements – a big royal no-no.” So now Diana’s birthday is part of the tightly-regulated royal calendar? For goodness sake. Meanwhile, Diana’s other daughter-in-law just went to Diana’s old dressmaker and had one of Diana’s suits poorly copied so she could wear it to Trooping the Colour. But I guess that’s “respectful” or an “homage.” I bet Diana would be a lot less creeped out by Meghan releasing a wine line on her birthday than Kate’s endlessly disturbing Diana cosplay.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, As Ever’s IG and Netflix.
