Meghan Markle has been criticized by her former friend, Lizzie Cundy, amid negative comments about the sequel to her cooking show.
Critics have branded the series "confounding" and "ghastly" alongside other harsh remarks. This has reportedly left the former actress "fuming" that the public hasn't embraced her in the same way as her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
Meghan Markle's alleged reaction has been described as "bitter" by Cundy, who also urged the Duchess of Sussex to consider starting anew with a fresh approach.
Meghan Markle's Ex-Pal Urged Her To 'Stop Being Bitter'
Amid ongoing backlash over Meghan's cooking show sequel and her As Ever brand, a one-time friend of the former actress has weighed in on the matter
Lizzie Cundy, a radio presenter who claimed to be friends with Meghan until she became involved with Prince Harry, urged the mother of two to "stop pretending" if she ever wants to win the public support.
"It doesn't matter how many pots of jam she makes; she has to stop pretending. She's not [lifestyle guru] Martha Stewart," said the television presenter, per the Daily Mail.
Cundy recalled that Meghan was "really fun and sweet" when they first met at a London charity event in 2013, but said she has since become "bitter" over constant unfavorable comparisons to the Princess of Wales.
"She's fuming how the public love Kate. She needs to stop being bitter, stop being angry, and stop being 'poor me,'" Cundy further remarked, adding that the Duchess of Sussex should "take a leaf out of Kate's book."
The Duchess's Cooking Show Sequel Has Received Harsh Criticism
Since the release of her cooking show sequel, it has been heavily panned by several outlets despite featuring a lineup of celebrity guests.
British Vogue's Radhika Seth called the show "confounding," and that she was left with multiple questions about some of the things she saw during the first episode..
The Spectator had harsher remarks for the show, writing that it was "just as ghastly as season one." The outlet also noted that Meghan risks "dwindling into obscurity" in real time unless she takes the audacious move of penning "yet another tell-all memoir," like her husband, Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle's Show Was Slammed As 'Contrived'
Amid the negative reactions, The Guardian's Lucy Mangan took a more critical approach, calling the show "boring" and "so contrived."
She also questioned the excessive use of flowers in the kitchen, both in the food and decoration.
"She's still sprinkling flowers over everything, by the way," Mangan wrote. "I don't know if it's a choice or a compulsion, but if you stand still long enough in (not) Meghan's kitchen, the chances are you will be covered in violets and served alongside a mug of grey foam to a nano-celebrity who is beginning to realise he has not been paid enough."
The Duchess Reveals She Ordered A Million Jam Jars And Lids For Her Latest As Ever Product Drop
Following the show's debut, Meghan joined Bloomberg's Emily Chang for a promotional interview, where she shared insights about the overwhelming success of her As Ever brand earlier this year.
According to the actress, most products from the brand sold out within an hour of their release, which forced her to scale up the number of jam jars and lids for the next drop.
"We prepped for the second seasonal drop and time times our inventory and thought for sure, for sure, that would at least last for a couple weeks. That sold out in a couple hours," she told her host, per the Daily Mail.
The duchess added, "And suddenly the conversation goes from, at the start of this year, talking about a few thousand jars and lids, to we need to do a purchase order of a million. And that's a huge jump in just a few months of starting a business."
Meghan Markle Plans To Take Her Brand Global
Although the former working royal appreciates the significant progress the brand has made in a short time since its release, she calls it a "double-edged sword" that could affect the business in the long run.
"It's an incredible thing to happen for any small business and any startup, but at the same time, you don't get the same metrics and learnings about which SKUs [stock keeping unit] and products are the most coveted because it's all gone immediately," Meghan said.
The former actress also admitted that expanding her homemade recipes can be a challenge, as the increase in portions could lead to loss of flavor and quality that come naturally in smaller batches.
Still, she intends to continue working hard to achieve greater success with the brand, and when asked whether she plans to take it global, Meghan replied, "Yes, absolutely."