Meghan Markle has faced criticism(Image: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle has been blasted as “desperate” after posting online a rare photo of herself and her two children.

The snap was shared as part of promotion of her As Ever brand, a new digital shop, allowing fans to purchase her favourite clothing, accessories and jewellery recommendations. Experts say, though, the Duchess of Sussex is exploiting Archie, five, and three-year-old Lilibet with the photograph.

Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the late Queen, also said cashing in on her royal links would have broken the terms of the Megxit deal had Meghan, 43, been promoting her new collection in the UK. He said: “It’s tacky — everything they do is tacky,” adding it was “a mixture of a lack of imagination and desperation…They left the UK because they wanted privacy.”

Items at the shop include a sleeveless ‘Windsor’ gown priced at more than £1,000, Saint Laurent sandals at £600 and earrings for £200. Meghan is expected to earn a commission on sales made through ShopMy, the platform on which the items are available to purchase.

Meghan with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (Image: meghan/Instagram)

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Alongside the picture of herself and her kids, Meghan added a dove emoji and wrote: “Every day is a love story.” The Duchess of Sussex has 2.6million fans on her personal account, while As Ever has around 734,000 followers.

The mum of two had described her “high-low” style approach to mixing designer and accessible fashion during an episode of her recent Netflix series but experts have described this move as flamboyant.

Phil Dampier, a royal author and journalist, told The Sun: “Nothing happens by accident and she would have thought this through and knows putting a photo of her children out at the same time as her clothing line would get maximum publicity. It begs the question whether Meghan is exploiting her two children who remain in the line of succession. I’d expect the Palace to take a dim view of this.”

The ShopMy platform is marketed at “elite creators” as a way for them to earn revenue if someone purchases an item through a link they have shared – with commission as high as 30%. Referencing the third party, Meghan wrote in a separate Instagram post she intends to sell “a hand-picked and curated collection of the things” she loves. She added: “I hope you enjoy them.”

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The former actress has meandered into the latest project after her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, was panned by critics. Despite the criticism, a second series was commissioned – because it is thought scenes for which had already been recorded during production for the first set of episodes.