Meghan Markle's Trooping the Colour 'gaffe' branded 'ridiculous' by expert

Meghan Markle's recent choice to unveil two new items from her American Riviera Orchard range had heads turning this past weekend.

Critics are questioning the launch timing, which seemed to overlap with the King's official birthday gala, Trooping the Colour.

Royal family members turned out in droves for this yearly tradition; notably, it marked Princess Kate's much-anticipated return to public life following her cancer diagnosis, gaining worldwide press attention.

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But just two hours prior to the celebration's onset, Prince Harry's polo buddy Nacho Figueras posted an Instagram photo of a raspberry jam jar and several dog treats given to him by the former Suits star. The questionable timing has attracted backlash, leading one Royal analyst to call it a "silly" move.

"I mean, it is a clash of a sort. What was done was just silly," Richard Fitzwilliam told The Sun. "We know in March Meghan launched American Riviera Orchard. We know that she sent some 50 jars of strawberry jam to some of her pals and influencers, she had a few endorsements, but this wasn't really very impressive," reports the Mirror.

"There weren't many A-listers who said how wonderful it was. What's so odd is that she did anything on the day of Trooping the Colour at all, it doesn't make any sense. The label on the jar said two of two, if she's only going to send two jars out, what on earth is the point? ".

"I don't think it's been thought out. This makes no public relations sense. It's ridiculous."

The Mirror has reached out to Meghan's reps for a statement.

This weekend also underscored the widening gap between Harry, Meghan, and the Royal family. Since stepping back as senior royals, they weren't on the guest list for Trooping the Colour.

Moreover, Harry didn't post a Father's Day tribute to the King.

In contrast, Prince William posted a heartfelt Father's Day message to Charles, with a nostalgic photo of him playing football with his father as a youngster, captioning it: "Happy Father's Day, Pa. W."

Discussing this on Lorraine on Monday, the Mirror's Royal correspondent Russell Myers highlighted the significance of William's photo choice. He opted for an image that conspicuously left out his brother, hinting that the rift between them is far from mended.

Prince Harry was last in the UK in May for the Invictus Games' 10th anniversary but didn't see his father then. He blamed the King's 'packed schedule', yet this excuse was questioned after reports surfaced that Charles had offered Harry Royal lodgings, which he turned down.

The last encounter between Charles and Harry was in February when Harry visited London upon hearing about the King's cancer diagnosis, with their meeting reportedly lasting a mere 45 minutes.