Meghan Markle invited her wedding makeup artist to afternoon tea at Kensington Palace over the weekend, and he posted a gushing account of her hospitality on Instagram. But social media users were not impressed with many criticizing the bland offering.
The Duchess of Sussex invited U.S.-based makeup artist Daniel Martin, the man who did her makeup for the royal wedding, to visit her while he was in London.
The pair met for afternoon tea and Martin clearly felt that Meghan had put on quite a spread. She served black tea in a stylish brushed blue ceramic teapot; Sandringham Coffee Truffles, which are from the posh London department store Fortnum and Mason and retail at £13.95 ($18) for a small box; and avocado on toast, which was served on distinctive silver plates.
Martin took to Instagram to post an image of the tea he was served by Meghan along with the message, “Back to our Tig days…Thank you Meghan for being the consummate hostess this weekend and still being the #avocadotoast whisperer, YUM!”
The Tig days comment is a reference to Meghan’s now-defunct blog, The Tig, while his photo of the feast was similar to the distinctive “flat lay” food photos which were regularly used by Meghan on social media.
The photo appears to offer a rare insight into Meghan’s private life in Kensington Palace and shows that she is still finding time to entertain her old friends.
However, not everyone was impressed with the spread Meghan put on for her friend. While some thought her afternoon tea demonstrated her “down-to-earth” side, others criticized her avocado toast for being too bland.
One said, “I’m surprised there isn’t any chopped red onion and diced pimento in there to give it some colour and taste. These look very bland to me!”
Another Instagram users suggested Meghan should have added, “an egg on that toast! With red pepper flakes” if she wanted it to taste really nice.
Another user commented that Meghan’s offering was some way from a traditional British afternoon tea that so many Americans like to try while visiting London, saying, “I thought hi-tea in London must have scones.”
It is unlikely that Meghan will take criticism of her afternoon tea too much to heart. She has faced far stronger online comments over rumors about her difficult behavior behind the scenes and her strained relationship with her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.
In the wake of what has been a difficult few months for the Duchess of Sussex, it seems likely that she was just happy to spend some time with a friendly and familiar face from the past.
