NEED TO KNOW
- New palace video offers a behind-the-scenes look at July’s French state banquet
- A cocktail featured in the footage was rimmed with dried petals
- The floral garnish drew comparisons to Meghan Markle’s As ever flower sprinkles
The Royal Household is offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at preparations for a state visit — and one small detail caught attention for its resemblance to a Meghan Markle favorite.
On Sept. 12, King Charles’ office released a nine-minute video on The Royal Family Channel on YouTube showing the extensive work that goes into hosting a state visit. The footage highlighted preparations for the French state visit at Windsor Castle in July, timed just ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming arrival in the U.K.
The clip featured contributions from the Mews, gardens, military, Royal Archives and kitchens — including a moment inside the royal kitchens where a cocktail was rimmed with dried flower petals.
Buckingham Palace previously revealed that a drink called L’entente had been created for the banquet, combining British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, finished with dried French cornflowers and English roses. The garnish bore a striking resemblance to the edible flower sprinkles sold through Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, As ever.
Launched this spring alongside her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, As Ever has made flower sprinkles one of its signature products, selling for $15 a tin. Though the resemblance is likely just a coincidence, flower sprinkles have become so closely tied to Meghan’s brand.
Meghan, 44, spoke about their popularity at the TIME100 Summit in April, admitting she never expected such a response.
“The obsession that has come with flower sprinkles, I was not expecting,” Meghan said. “It speaks to the tiny moments of joy that are so effortless and just create a little bit of magic that we’re all craving in our everyday.”
“They’re tiny little flower petals that are dried. I started putting them on salads, I started putting them on scrambled eggs, it didn’t actually matter — on a yogurt parfait,” she continued. “The level of charm that you find people have when they see these tiny little dried petals is something I can’t fully wrap my head around, but I appreciate that there is a love for the detail and the small level of delight that can be added.”
It’s not the first time the palace has indirectly sparked chatter about the Duchess of Sussex in recent months. In June, the Royal Family’s official Instagram account surprised fans by cheekily responding to a viral video by British TV personalities Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, who recreated Meghan and Prince Harry’s “Baby Mama Dance” on the steps of Buckingham Palace during an event for The King’s Trust.
“We see you 👀😉,” the palace account quipped in the comments — a rare playful reply.
The King’s Trust also joked about the break in protocol by writing, “All of our attendees are very well behaved.”