A photo of a printed card nestled in a basket with ice cream, sprigs of mint and strawberry sauce is going viral, igniting debate about the Duchess of Sussex's royal title.
And it's all because of the use of the letters "HRH".
Critics say this goes against Meghan and Prince Harry's agreement not to use their titles after they stepped down as working royals.
Headlines from British tabloid media featured phrases such as "a slap in the face to late Queen" and "highly offended".
However, a spokesperson for the couple told local media the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hadn't broken the agreement because it was a private note.
What does 'HRH' stand for?
HRH stands for Her Royal Highness, if it's for a female.
It's His Royal Highness if it's for a male.
The title is something that people usually articulate verbally when introducing a member of the royal family, but it's often abbreviated to HRH in correspondence.
When did Meghan use the title?
The letters "HRH" appeared on a printed card included with a gift basket the duchess sent to Jamie Kern Lima, a US entrepreneur, investor, and media personality.
It's unclear when the delivery happened, but it was discussed when the duchess appeared on Lima's podcast.
Video of the podcast posted to Lima's YouTube channel on Tuesday showed a photo of the gift basket as it was being referenced by Lima.
Here's some of the dialogue that's happening around this part of the video:
Lima: When I was like super stressed out, one time I had in-laws and all these people visiting …
Sussex: You had a very full house.
Lima: Very full house. And all of a sudden, I get word that, you know …
Sussex: I'd dropped something off, yeah.
Lima: All of a sudden, you'd dropped off this gift basket with ice creams, homemade strawberry sauce to put on top of the ice cream, just to see if that helps lighten my load. I was like you were in my shoes, feeling what I was feeling without me even needing to tell you anything and you're doing something that adds value to my life.
The photo appeared on the screen for about 10 seconds of the hour-and-a-half-long video.
It showed the basket with a card that reads "with the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex" in dark blue printed text, also featuring her monogram:
It's unclear how long ago the card was printed.
The podcast also featured an image of another note in a different delivery to Lima's family, featuring a card with the duchess's monogram printed in gold.
This note, which featured a date from February this year, was handwritten and signed "Miss Meghan":
When did Meghan and Harry stop being working royals?
In January 2020.
In a social media post, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they intended to "step back as 'senior' members of the royal family and work to become financially independent".
The announcement came as a shock and the pair was subject of intense media speculation and criticism.
The saga was dubbed "Megxit" by the British press — a play on words referencing "Brexit", the UK's split from the Eurpopean Union.
Days after the pair made the announcement, Queen Elizabeth convened a meeting — which was dubbed the "Sandringham Summit" by the press — at her estate in Norfolk.
Senior royals including King Charles III (then Prince Charles), Prince William and Prince Harry were present to negotiate the terms of the Sussexes departure.
It was there that it was decided Harry and Meghan would not use their HRH titles.
Can Meghan use the 'HRH' title?
It was agreed upon with Queen Elizabeth at the time that neither Meghan nor Harry would use HRH titles.
Here's a statement released by Buckingham Palace in January, 2020:
"The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family."
However, this agreement did not remove the title, it just restricted how it was used.
At the time, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said:
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain members of the Royal Family and remain named and titled as such.
"As explained in the January [2020] announcement, from Spring they will formally retain their titles of 'His/Her Royal Highness' but no longer actively use their 'HRH's."
Another non-working royal, Prince Andrew, also does not use HRH in any official capacity, but still retains the title.
Andrew retired from public duties and was stripped of his military titles in 2022 after sexual abuse allegations from prominent Jeffry Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre and scrutiny of his relationship with the disgraced late financier.
He denied the allegations and reached a settlement with Ms Giuffre, reportedly making a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights.
What has Meghan said about the backlash?
A report from the BBC quoted "sources close to the California-based couple", who said Harry and Meghan rejected claims the card was a breach of the agreement.
Here's what the BBC reported:
"According to sources, the couple do not use HRH in commercial or public settings — and this was only a private use of the title and was for a gift given more than a year ago.
"This distinction would mean the HRH title was not being used to promote the jams and food products in Meghan's As Ever range or her Netflix cookery series."
A spokesperson from Harry and Meghan's office elaborated further in a statement quoted by UK media outlet The Daily Express:
"As Jamie notes in her teaser, she has had the jam for over a year, indicating that the photo and gift are not recent.
"While they do not publicly use "HRH," this was a personal gift, and their titles remain."
