Meghan Markle has gifted a podcaster who savaged her Netflix show a generous package from her brand, As Ever.

Amanda Hirsch, who runs the @notskinnybutnotfat podcast had previously said she was ‘scared’ about the reception to With Love, Meghan – before the Duchess sent her an extraordinary handwritten letter.

Ms Hirsch had expressed concerns that the former Suits star would come across as ‘inauthentic’ and ‘not relatable’ in a video after watching the teaser trailer for the show in January.

She was left ‘absolutely flabbergasted’ when a card topped with Meghan’s regal logo arrived with the message: ‘Don’t be scared. Let’s enjoy it’.

Now, the podcaster says their relationship has reached the ‘next step’ after she received a very generous gift from the Duchess’ new lifestyle brand, As Ever, including three types of tea, cookie and crepe mixes, and her famous jam in keepsake packaging.

Taking to Instagram to express her delight, Amanda gushed: ‘First a letter now her jam!!! Are we gonna be bffs? Should I buy a one way to Montecito???’

Showing off the wooden box and handwritten card from the Duchess, she continued: ‘Guess – if you had to guess – what package I just got! I cannot believe it.

‘Why am I so excited? Like, this is the next step in our relationship. First a letter, then I suppose, a jam?’

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Amanda Hirsch has been gifted a package from As Ever – after Meghan sent her an extraordinary handwritten letter

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The podcaster took to her Instagram account to share her delight at receiving the generous package

Going through her new goodies, Amanda couldn’t contain her excitement, exclaiming: ‘Oh my god, tea!’

Then discovering the jam, she sang: ‘Hallelujah! Have you ever seen such a fancy jam? I am so excited to try this, and my teas.’

Later, she even shared a review on her Instagram story, saying ‘@asever peppermint tea is 10/10. And I’m a peppermint tea connoisseur’.

In her original video showing her watching the teaser trailer after it was released in January, Amanda cringed as she watched Meghan bake a cake.

‘Oh guys I’m genuinely concerned for Meghan. I’m not a Meghan hater at all. It feels like a Blake Lively situation. I understand that some people think she’s inauthentic. I get that. I’m so scared for her that this Netflix show will make those claims stronger. From the trailer, it looks like it might’, she said.

With her fist almost in her mouth Amanda added: ‘In the trailer at least she doesn’t come across as relatable. I’m just scared for you Meghan. Why did you have to do that? Consult with me, I would have told you!’.

But after receiving the personal note from the Duchess – complete with her immaculate calligraphic handwriting and signed ‘As Ever, Meghan’, Amanda said she’s become a ‘fan’ of Meghan ‘for life’.

Meghan’s message read: ‘Dear Amanda, I heard you were feeling scared. Don’t be! This is the fun part, let’s enjoy it. As Ever, Meghan.’

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Ms Hirsch had previously expressed fears that Meghan would come across as ‘inauthentic’ in her show

Amanda joked that they had reached the ‘next step’ of their relationship

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She shared her impressive haul, including three types of tea, jam in keepsake packaging and cookie and crepe mixes

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She later took to her Instagram story to rate the peppermint tea a ’10/10′

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Meghan Markle sent a podcaster a handwritten letter urging her ‘not to be scared’ after the woman expressed concerns over her new Netflix show

Meghan’s penmanship sparked a stir among Hirsch’s followers, many who said they couldn’t believe the ‘beautiful’ styling of the short note.

Hirsch herself said she’d ‘frame’ the letter.

‘Obviously framing this. Beyond shook. Beyond spiraling. Did I smell the paper? Yes. Do I want my own monogram? Yes,’ she said.

‘Am I absolutely flabbergasted and obsessed? F**k yes. Meghan, you have a fan for life.’

Dozens of fans responded to the post saying her decision to reach out to the podcaster made them ‘like her even more.’

‘I hated the show but I genuinely like her. This makes me like her even more,’ one supporter said.

‘That handwriting is rich,’ another said, while a third added: ‘I find myself Team Meghan all of a sudden.’

Others questioned why the Duchess continues to use ‘stationery with a crown’ given her longstanding terse relationship with the royal family.

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Amanda Hirsch, who runs the popular ‘notskinnybutnotfat’ podcast, revealed that Meghan had reached out to her with a note written on her official letterhead

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The letter was in response to a video Hirsch made in which she expressed fears for Meghan ahead of the release of her Netflix series ‘With Love, Meghan’

Meghan’s series was slammed by reviewers as ‘gormless lifestyle filler’ with a ‘tangible desperation’ following its release.

Others said it shows the Duchess is ‘attempting to cling to fame by any means possible’, while another described how she was ‘joylessly filling kids’ party bags with seeds’.

Guardian TV writer Stuart Heritage said the series was ‘so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show’ and ‘might also be the final thing she makes for Netflix’.

The Telegraph gave the show just two stars. In a review, they said the series was an ‘exercise in narcissism, filled with extravagant brunches, celebrity pals and business plugs’.

Despite being mocked, the series has been renewed for a second season, with Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, insisting the Duchess has been ‘underestimated.’

Since the couple signed the mega deal with Netflix in 2020, there has been one smash hit and three relative duds.

With Love, Meghan was watched by 526,000 households in the first five days it was available on Netflix since its release on March 4, according to data gathered by Samba TV.

Last week, she finally launched her lifestyle products, inspired by the meals and decorations she prepared in the series.

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Hirsch said she was scared that the Netflix show would only amplify claims of Meghan’s inauthenticity and ‘make those claims stronger’

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Hirsch’s following was largely impressed by Meghan’s correspondence, theorizing that she may be angling to become a guest on the podcast.

Questions were raised after Meghan’s products rapidly sold out within half an hour – but her famous pals all managed to snap up stock.

As well as Mindy, Jennifer Walsh – who appeared in episode six of Meghan’s Netflix show – gushed on her Instagram story: ‘I’m in love with everything – especially the flower sprinkles that I don’t know how I ever lived without!’

Tracy Robbins, who was in episodes six and eight, posted a screenshot of her order, containing shortbread mix and raspberry spread.

And Meghan’s close friend Jamie Kern Lima cheerfully said ‘I barely got an order placed in time’ – while Kris Jenner seems to have been gifted a freebie.

Among the products included in the limited-edition drop were wildflower honey with honeycomb priced at $28 (£21.60) and some flower sprinkles at $15 (£11.60), while a jar of raspberry jam set punters back $14 (£10.80).

Other goods in the Duchess’s lifestyle range included shortbread and crepe mixes – both being sold for $14 – and various herbal tea mixes for $12 (£9.30) each.

The Telegraph quoted what they called a well-placed source as saying the items had been made available in small quantities and quickly marked as sold out to generate interest, which is ‘a common marketing ploy’.

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Meghan’s As Ever products launched last Wednesday and rapidly sold out

In a post on social media, Meghan wrote: ‘We’re live! Come shop the As ever collection I’ve poured so much love into. So excited to share this with you’, before adding ‘limited quantities for each seasonal drop’.

Launching the range, Meghan told her followers in a newsletter that it’s a ‘love language’ rather than a brand.

In a gushing message to her followers, she wrote: ‘If you’ve been receiving these newsletters, you’ve been reading my musings about this brand and why it means so much to me – why it’s person, why it brings me joy, and how I hope that it becomes both personal and joyful for you too.

‘You’re now familiar with the line-up of products, and as of today you can order them for yourself to experience at home. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

‘Welcome to As Ever…this is just the beginning!’