Fans Accuse Buckingham Palace of Igniting a 'Royal Jam War' With Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle

Buckingham Palace is shining a light on its own branded Strawberry Preserves, and let's just say, it doesn't seem to have gone as planned.

Many fans of Meghan Markle were left with a nasty taste in their mouth after the representatives for the royal residence took to Instagram on April 24, 2024, to highlight the "finest berries" used to make the spread before sharing some favorite ways to eat it.

The move comes after the Duchess of Sussex gifted a limited number of strawberry jams from her new brand, American Riviera Orchard, to select friends and colleagues in the industry, including Kris Jenner, Mindy Kaling and Chrissy Teigen. All of the women took to social media to show off the adorable presentation of the packages or make all of our stomachs envious with their plating—like Teigen, who enjoyed the jam with rustic bread, salted butter, triple cream brie and thick-cut bacon.

There were mixed responses to what one commenter dubbed the "royal jam war" as folks took sides, but most agreed that the palace's video came off as "petty."

"Very tacky, low blow, that was entirely immature and unnecessary," one wrote. "I thought Buckingham Pakace [sic] was supposed to exude class and grace. Guess not."

Someone else suggested the social media team must be made up of "holdovers from Mean Girls," calling the post "absolutely distasteful and classless."

The Royal Gift Shop has been around for years, and this isn't the first time they've stocked their preserves. Still, the timing of their marketing push is a bit suspicious amid the royals' feud.

Next: Melissa McCarthy Makes a Bold Declaration About Meghan Markle Critics