Meghan Markle Accepted Diamond Earrings From A Brand While Still A Working Royal: Report
Meghan Markle was open to receiving items from companies when she was still a working royal, according to a report.
The members of the royal family usually reject presents and gifts from the public. However, Markle reportedly didn't do the same while with the royals.
Earlier this month, Kimai's founders, Sidney Neuhaus and Jessica Warch, appeared on "Dragon's Den," where they took pride in Markle wearing their designs. The founders were looking for a $317,000 investment for a 3% equity stake in their business, and they said they had sent the Duchess of Sussex an item from their brand in 2019 when she was still a working royal.
Meghan Markle arrives for Variety's Power of Women event at Mother Wolf in Los Angeles, California, on November 16, 2023.
Prince Harry's wife wore the brand's Felicity earrings -- sold separately for $1,263 -- when she visited the charity Smart Works' headquarters in London. According to the founders, Markle's endorsement after she was spotted wearing their artificial diamond worked.
"We've launched without investment, and then two months after our launch, we got Meghan Markle to wear our pieces, which enabled us to grow the revenue significantly, and from there, we raised $1.2 million," they explained, per the Daily Mail.
Steven Bartlett, who invested in the business, asked the pair how they managed to get the former actress to wear their brand of jewelry.
"Cold emails," Sidney said. Warch added, "We're big believers in cold emails!"
Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (L) and Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrive at the 2023 Invictus Games in Duesseldorf, western Germany on September 13, 2023.
The brand also piqued the interest of Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies and Peter Jones. However, the two ended up choosing Bartlett.
Last year, the Duke of Sussex confirmed that his wife would accept free gifts before stepping down as a royal in January 2020. In his memoir "Spare," Prince Harry even shared what Markle did to the stuff she received.
"She shared all the freebies she received, clothes and perfumes and make-up, with all the women in the office," she said.
He added that one assistant was "asked to resign by Palace HR after we showed them evidence she'd traded on her position with Meg to get freebies."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the Premiere of “Bob Marley: One Love” at the Carib 5 Theatre on January 23, 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The dresses Kate Middleton wears often sell out within minutes. For this reason, members of the royal family pay for their own outfits to avoid being seen as commercial enterprises.
Elsewhere in the book, Prince Harry alleged that the Princess of Wales thought "Meg had wanted her fashion contacts," adding, "But Meg had her own. They'd got off on the wrong foot, perhaps?"
