Meghan Markle's brand dubbed 'out of touch' as £11 jam sells out in minutes

Meghan Markle's As Ever products were branded "out of touch" just days after their launch, despite the fact that they sold out within minutes online. The Duchess of Sussex finally launched her lifestyle brand last week and debuted eight products for sale, including her long-awaited raspberry jam.

However, the products sold out in less than an hour, which was seen as an incredibly successful launch by the Sussex camp. Meghan's brand is thought to release new product collections seasonally, with the line-up also featuring various herbal teas, flower sprinkles, crepe mix, shortbread cookie mix and a wildflower honey with honeycomb.

Meghan's raspberry spread in keepsake packaging cost 14 dollars (£10.80), while her limited edition wildflower honey with honeycomb cost 28 dollars (£21.60). The spread without the packaging will become available later for 9 dollars (£7).

Her flower sprinkles, which the Duchess frequently used in her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, cost 15 dollars (£11.60).

The herbal teas — lemon ginger, peppermint, and hibiscus — cost 12 dollars (£9.30) each, and both the crepe mix and shortbread cookie mix were priced at 14 dollars (£10.80).

Now a royal commentator criticised the Duchess for the product's pricing and said that it is "out of touch".

Samara Gill told The Sun: "I don't know what world she thinks she's living in right now, if she hasn't stepped foot outside the gates of Montecito to understand that. I don't know if your average American is going to be dishing out 14 dollars for a pot of jam or it's not really jam."

She added: "I think the whole lineup is really, really out of touch. No one's paying £12 pounds or $12 dollars for some tea. I looked at the royal family. They sell their own strawberry preserve. They sell that for £3. I think that's a little bit more accessible."

While As Ever's stock is not known, Ms Gill did note that Meghan previously only sent 50 jars of her jam to various influencers to promote the products.

She said: "With her original jam rollout, it was one of 50 that she was giving to her friends. I think it is going to be this exclusive type of range. And I'm sure they've kept the numbers small just to make sure that they don't."

Developed in partnership with Netflix's CPG division, As Ever's first collection was said to offer a glimpse into Meghan's approach to "elevated, everyday living" and is inspired by her "long-lasting love" of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing "with ease".

Following the launch, Meghan thanked all those who bought her products. She uploaded a new picture of her in white holding produce in a garden, as well as her products being sold out on her website.

The Duchess went on to thank her fans after her As Ever products and said in a message on Instagram: "Our shelves may be empty, but my heart is full! We sold out in less than one hour and I can’t thank you enough…for celebrating, purchasing, sharing, and believing. It’s just the start @aseverofficial. Here we go!"