Meghan Markle’s support made all the difference to an up-and-coming ethical jewelry brand.
“We launched without any investment, and then two months after our investment, we got Meghan Markle to wear our pieces, which enabled us to grow the revenue significantly, and from there, we raised $1.2 million,” Warch explained of the brand’s history on the Shark Tank-style business pitch show.
“How did you get Meghan Markle to wear your jewelry?” investor Steven Bartlett asked.
Meghan Markle visits Smart Works on January 10, 2019 in London, England.BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
“Cold emails. We’re big believers in cold emails!” she said with a smile. “It’s the same way we got all of our investors, we didn’t know anyone in this space.”
The Belgian duo behind the fine jewelry brand that exclusively uses lab-grown diamonds and recycled gold ultimately made a deal to partner with Bartlett, who said he was impressed with their pluck in contacting the Duchess of Sussex.
“The moment you told me about hounding down Meghan Markle, you had me,” he said on Dragon’s Den, according to theMirror.
In January 2019, while pregnant withPrince Archie, Meghan, 42, wore the 18-karat goldFelicity earrings(which retailed for about $800 each)for a visitto Smart Works’ London hub. The outing came on the day the female-focused career charity was announced as one of thefour official patronagesshe’d champion in her royal role, and Meghanremains patronof Smart Works today.
“It’s so exciting for us, especially as we just launched in November,” Kimai co-founder Neuhaustold PEOPLEat the time of the fashion statement. “Her team contacted us, and we sent them to her a month or so ago. She really loved these earrings.”
Meghan Markle visits Smart Works on January 10, 2019 in London, England.Clodagh Kilcoyne - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Clodagh Kilcoyne - WPA Pool/Getty Images
While the royal family’s website does not outline any guidance on the rules around accepting gifts,Prince Harrywrote in his memoirSparethat his wife shared what she was sent.
The following year, Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles and relocated to her home state of California with their son Prince Archie, now 4. DaughterPrincess Lilibet, 2, was born in the U.S. in 2021.
Whilespeaking to PEOPLEaround the release ofSparelast year, Prince Harry kept it open-ended when asked what he hoped his family’s takeaway was from the book.
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“I don’t want to tell anyone what to think of it and that includes my family. This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It’s a raw account of my life — the good, the bad and everything in between,” Prince Harry told PEOPLE.
source: people.com
