Meghan Markle defended after people spot 'embarrassing' mistake in photo on her website

After Meghan Markle launched her new brand, As Ever, people have had a lot to say.

She previously forged her career as a lifestyle influencer with a blog called The Tig, something that set her up nicely for when she stepped down from the Royal Family in 2020.

The Duchess of Sussex now has two seasons of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, under her belt, having also been moving forward with her food and lifestyle brand.

Yet Meghan appears to still be getting to grips with some elements of her new focus, and in a picture posted on the As Ever website, she's 'doing it wrong', according to many.

A picture on the As Ever website features Meghan deep in concentration looking in to a pot as she stirs up her latest batch of preserves or condiments. Yet the tool in her hand, which appears to be a canning tong, has caught the attention of the internet and they have not been kind.

Noting the mistake, one person wrote on X: "Guys she’s using the canning tongs upside down. The rubber part goes around the jars so they don’t slip."

Another spotted the same as they wrote, "Dear Meghan Markle, Even if you want to pretend for the camera, at least learn to get the basics right before embarrassing yourself.

"The rubber-coated side of the jar clamp is meant to grip the neck or body of the hot jar securely. It prevents slipping and protects the glass from the pressure of the metal. You say jam is your “jam,” but funny how you don’t even know how to use a clamp."

Guys she’s using the canning tongs upside down. The rubber part goes around the jars so they don’t slip. pic.twitter.com/8sTrsj6Bxc

— Emily Zanotti 🦝 (@emzanotti) October 4, 2025

"Umm, has anyone told #meghan that she's holding the jar lifter upside down," said a third.

However some loyal fans leapt to her defence, as one person wrote: "I’ve done it that way my whole life - it picks up fine and the tongs can get hot after a few pulls and the rubber keeps your hands from burning."

"Guess you’ve never canned in your life. There are 2 ends on canning tongs. One for small jars like she is using and turn it around for larger sized jars. I do this," reasoned another.

A third argued back about Meghan's team as they posted: "Ok, so who took the photo and let her post it? Surely she has people that check her posts before she sends them. Do they hate her?

"Did they allow her to post it to sit back and watch the fallout? What an absolute embarrassment!!"

Your best bet is to check with the manufacturer's instructions, as products may vary from one to another and you don't want to end up making a dangerous mistake when dealing with boiling pots and hot glass jars.

Either way, though, it's clear Meghan's not the only person who might be using them the 'wrong' way, and that the confusion is a little more widespread than her critics would let us believe.