JUST IN!!! Meghan Markle is accused of using marketing ploy so As Ever Lifestyle range sells out minutes after going live including $15 flower sprinkles and $28 honey..see details below

Meghan Markle has been accused of using a ‘common marketing ploy’ to help her As Ever lifestyle range to sell out in a matter of minutes. The Duchess of Sussex released her line of much-vaunted items, first teased a year ago under a different name, today as she continues to rebrand herself as a ‘domestic goddess’.

It included a wildflower honey with honeycomb priced at an eye-watering $28 (£21.60) and some flower sprinkles at $15 (£11.60), while a jar of raspberry jam set punters back $14 (£10.80). Other goods in the Duchess’s lifestyle range included shortbread and crepe mixes – both being sold for $14 – and various herbal tea mixes for $12 (£9.30) each.

When the items went on sale in the US earlier today, they were snapped up within minutes, selling out within half an hour of going live. However, despite the sell-out opening day, some have seemingly cast doubt on the success of the 43-year-old royal’s latest business venture.

The Telegraph quoted what they called a well-placed source as saying the items had been made available in small quantities and quickly marked as sold out to generate interest, which is ‘a common marketing ploy’. In a post on social media, Meghan wrote: ‘We’re live! Come shop the As ever collection I’ve poured so much love into. So excited to share this with you’, before adding ‘limited quantities for each seasonal drop’.

Launching the range, Meghan told her followers in a newsletter that it’s a ‘love language’ rather than a brand. In a gushing message to her followers, she wrote: ‘If you’ve been receiving these newsletters, you’ve been reading my musings about this brand and why it means so much to me – why it’s person, why it brings me joy, and how I hope that it becomes both personal and joyful for you too.

‘You’re now familiar with the line-up of products, and as of today you can order them for yourself to experience at home. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

‘Welcome to As Ever…this is just the beginning!’ The business venture comes just weeks after Meghan unveiled her new TV show, With Love, Meghan.

Netflix, the maker of her series, is her business partner and will begin selling her lifestyle range inside two of America’s mega-malls later this year.

However, behind the scenes, sources have suggested the launch of Meghan’s company has been anything but smooth sailing – with Netflix staff claiming they were already ‘over it’. Speaking to MailOnline, an insider claimed the Montecito start-up has proved to be a ‘logistical nightmare’ after the 11th hour name change from American Riviera Orchard.

People working on the retail project are said to be tired of the ‘drama’ surrounding the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, who has now been engulfed by scandal surrounding his Sentebale charity. They have even been asked to sign NDAs to keep secret where the products, including her ‘fruit spread’, are being made, MailOnline’s source said.

‘There is so much drama surrounding them once again that internally the team are over it before it’s even launched’, the source has claimed. ‘It’s been a logistical nightmare and the buying team are having an issue as they can’t work out what the demand will be, if any’.

MailOnline’s insider said that away from the social media buzz, there are still fears internally about whether Meghan’s new brand will fly.

Team Sussex is believed to have lined up famous faces and influencers to help boost sales on Wednesday. ‘People will be posting their jars of jam – they’ve seeded it to lots of influencers to get it out there and to plaster social media with ‘good vibes’ on launch’, they said.

Speaking to the New York Times ahead of the launch of her As Ever collection, Meghan insisted her freezer was ‘stuffed with’ convenience foods.