Meghan Markle, 44, reshared the 18-second clip to her official As Ever Instagram Stories on Thursday as part of a Valentine’s Day marketing push for her lifestyle brand.
In the short video, steaming hot water is poured into a pink, heart-shaped mug placed next to an unopened tin of As Ever tea and a used tea bag. The items appeared to sit on a tiled floor — which some viewers believed resembled bathroom tiles.
As the camera zoomed in on the mug, which already contained a tea bag, several online users claimed they could see stained grout between the tiles. The detail quickly fueled criticism across social media, with some branding the scene “unsanitary.”
“Why not make a cup of ‘As Ever’ tea right on the toilet floor?” one user wrote on X.
“That is some dirty tile. Ewww,” another commented.
A third added: “Did she have to travel to the local McDonald’s to be able use their bathroom floor for this video? I don’t even care to know what stained the tile grout.”
Questions Over Staging
Others weren’t just focused on the floor — they also questioned whether the scene had been staged, pointing out that the tea tin looked unopened.
“So apart from it looking like a toilet floor there’s a bag in the cup, another on the ‘floor’ but the tea caddy looks new/unopened,” one critic noted.
“So this must be a real fan of the tea as obviously bought more than one tin of the stuff unless they work at Netflix and got freebie.”
Supporters Push Back
Not everyone agreed with the outrage. Some defended the duchess, arguing there was nothing inappropriate about the clip.
“I don’t know what people are criticising her about this time. I see nothing wrong with this video! The tea looks good. The mug is cute. What’s the deal people?” one Instagram user wrote.
Another added: “I don’t get what the issue is… so confusing… while she isn’t my favourite… pouring hot water onto a mug for tea… not that horrible.”
One supporter even suggested the backlash may have been part of a broader strategy: “Oh come on. She wanted her post to go viral! And you just proved it! Good strategy!”
Product Changes at As Ever
The online debate comes as reports surface that several As Ever products have quietly been removed from the brand’s website, including its shortbread cookie mix and crepe mix.
American journalist Paula Froelich highlighted the missing items on her Substack, writing: “Turns out Americans aren’t that into flat pancake mix or bland cookies. No matter how many sprinkles are on them.”
An insider told her: “If a product doesn’t work, you don’t sell it anymore.”
While the shortbread and crepe mixes no longer appear online, the brand continues to sell tea bags, fruit spreads and flower sprinkles.
In addition, the duchess recently introduced Valentine’s Day bundle sets, offering 15 percent off curated collections.
“We’ve brought together a few of our most loved essentials into three thoughtfully curated sets -designed for gifting, gathering, and keeping the pantry beautifully stocked,” Meghan wrote in an email to customers.
The discounted bundles are priced from USD$132 (approximately AUD$185) up to USD$295 (around AUD$415).
