Marketeers for brands will always look to make a buck off a big event and the royal wedding was no exception! Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have received £7million worth of gifts in the wake of their nuptials.
Brands sought to cash in on the big day by sending the couple presents in the hope that they’d be snapped using and wearing them.
The Daily Express reports one such brand was Bags of Love. The company sent the newlyweds personalised matching swimwear hoping that they’d be photographed wearing it on their honeymoon. Anything the Duchess of Sussex is seen wearing tends to sell out so it’s understandable that brands want her to wear their products.
Kensington Palace has official rules on accepting freebies that state, “When gifts are accepted, the consent of the Member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes.”
The Palace is now tasked with returning the gifts as their rules state they can’t accept gifts from people that don’t know the newlyweds, especially if the motive behind the gift is unclear. The royal rules state, “Gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of the Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself.”
The couple has asked for donations to be made to charities that they cared about in lieu of gifts. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister was one individual who followed their wishes as he announced that Canada donated $50,000 (Canadian dollars) to a charity called Jumpstart that helps make “play and sports more accessible to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
Canada is the honeymoon destination of choice for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
