Meghan Markle's '£200' jam v Palace's £4.95 preserve as row gets a little sticky

Meghan Markle’s jam seems stuck in a sticky mess as Buckingham Palace Gift Shop shared an advert for their Palace of Holyroodhouse strawberry preserve on Instagram.

The ad comes after a flurry of interest around The Duchess’ strawberry jam - the first product announced as part of her new American Riviera Orchard brand.

Shady? Perhaps, but how do the two compare? Let’s throw the King's own Highgrove Organic jam into the mix too. A recent spike in sales left the preserve out of stock online with many saying the increase in sales was triggered by The Duchess sending out 50 precious pots to her influencer friends, reports The Mirror.

It’s expected Meghan’s jam will be the most expensive by far, with one royal commentator suggesting a pot could come with a three figure price tag.

The Express reports that former royal correspondent Michael Cole believes Meghan might attempt to market the jar £200 a pop.

He told GB News: "I'm not sure a single jar has been sold yet and we don't even know what the price is going to be.

"There's a celebrity supermarket called Erewhon which is nowhere back to front and they sell jars of honey that have been made by the bees owned by celebrities for up to £200 ($250) a jar.

"This is getting very serious. She's got to make money.”

A 200g jar of Palace of Holyroodhouse strawberry preserve costs only £3.95, while the Highgrove Organic Preserve range is £6.50 online and a 340g pot of Duchy Organic Raspberry Preserve Extra Jam is a mere £2.80 from Waitrose.

As far as provenance goes, a source told MailOnline that Meghan’s jam is authentically made from fruit grown at her Montecito mansion.

The Palace’s jam is made in the UK and with the “finest soft fruit” according to its website, while the King’s Highgrove preserves are “handmade” but with shipped in produce, reports GB News.

It appears that ARO jam currently comes in strawberry, while Highrove jam has several types including rhubarb and ginger, raspberry and blackberry, and marmalade. Buckingham Palace Gift Shop sells marmalade and honey in addition to the berry preserve.

The King's jam raises money for the The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund, while Meghan's jam will line her pockets. It's assumed sales from Buckingham Palace Gift Shop go back into running the Royal Collection Trust.