A small group of Meghan Markle's inner circle has been revealed, as the duchess sent 50 jars of her exclusive American Riviera Orchard strawberry jam to friends after soft-launching her lifestyle brand last month.
Four high profile figures have taken to social media to praise Meghan's cottage industry, ranging from a Hollywood actress to a motherhood advocate and the wife of one of Prince Harry's polo playing pals.
Since splitting from the monarchy with Prince Harry and moving to the U.S. in 2020, Meghan's life at the couple's Montecito home and her integration into the Hollywood elite has formed the basis for countless reports and endless speculation.
Interest in the duchess' social circle has persisted, with the recipients of her 50 jars of American Riviera Orchard jam becoming another cause for speculation online.
Newsweek takes a look at those in Meghan's inner circle who have posted something about their jars of the duchess' labor of love to social media.
Tracy Robbins
Meghan was first publicly linked with Tracy Robbins, the wife of Paramount Studios President and CEO Brian Robbins, back in January, when they were photographed together with their husbands on the red carpet of the Bob Marley: One Love movie in Jamaica.
Robbins was the first of Meghan's friends to post about her American Riviera Orchard jam on Instagram, sharing two images on April 15, the first showing the jar nestled among fresh lemons in a carved wooden bowl. The second focused more on the jar itself, which was labeled number 17 out of 50.
"Thank you for the delicious basket," Robbins captioned the images. "I absolutely love this jam so not sure I'm sharing it with anyone :) Thank you M!"
Delfina Blaquier
The next in Meghan's social circle to post something about a jar of the duchess' jam was Delfina Blaquier, her close friend and the wife of Prince Harry's polo pal, Nacho Figueras.
Blaquier and Meghan have often been photographed together at polo events watching their husbands on the field. Most recently they were together at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Florida on April 12.
"Strawberry jam makes me happy... And I [heart emoji] your jam @americanrivieraorchard," Blaquier captioned an April 15 Instagram story showing the jar and the jam spread over a piece of toast. Her jar was labeled number 10 out of 50.
Mindy Kaling
The next identified recipient of Meghan's exclusive preserve was Hollywood actress and writer Mindy Kaling.
Meghan and Kaling were first linked in 2022, when the star appeared as a special guest on the duchess' Archetypes podcast.
Earlier this month, Kaling was photographed at a California tech event with Prince Harry, posting the Image to Instagram, referring to him as her "friend's husband."
Kaling posted a photograph of her jar of American Riviera Orchard jam (labeled number 19 out of 50) to Instagram on April 17 with the caption: "Obsessed."
Kelly McKee Zajfen
Another recipient of the royal jam was the motherhood advocate and co-founder of the Alliance of Moms group, Kelly McKee Zajfen.
On April 17, she posted a photograph of her jam jar, numbered 3 out of 50, to Instagram with the caption: "Ohhhhh Just a taste of what's to come!!! So proud of you M @americanrivieraorchard 🍋"
McKee Zajfen later posted a series of images of herself posing with Meghan and the royal's Suits co-star Abigail Spencer wearing "Love Like a Mother" t-shirts, which are sold through the Alliance of Moms to raise money for services, education and advocacy for young parents and children.
In the caption, she hinted just how close she and Meghan are. "When we speak about the people in our lives who lift us up when you need it with undeniable force of pure love I think of these two," she said of the duchess and Spencer. "You inspire me. You pick me up when I need it and you Love Like A Mother! ❤️🩹"
Newsweek approached representatives of Meghan Markle via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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