Abigail Spencer has described Meghan Markle as ‘champagne in human form’ in a gushing birthday tribute to the Duchess of Sussex.
The actress, who appeared on Suits alongside Meghan, shares the same birthday with her former co-star – with both of them turning 44 today.
Abigail praised Meghan as a ‘creature unlike any other’ who ‘saved’ her life in heartfelt message on social media.
She shared images of the two of them together, and accompanied them with her glowing caption.
It read: ‘As glorious as the day I met you. Champagne in human form. A creature unlike any other. Thank you for being a sister in this life, and beyond. Words can’t capture. From the rooftops. So grateful for your life. Thanks for saving mine. Love, Abs. 44/4. 8/4/81.’
Meghan and Abigail first met 18 years ago at an audition but they became closer once they became co-stars on the legal drama Suits.
The Duchess played Rachel Zane – a paralegal who later became an attorney – in the series and Abigail was cast as lawyer Dana Scott.
In an interview with Hello! earlier this year, Abigail said the pair have a ‘private a friendship’.
Discussing her friend’s Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, Abigail said she was happy that the mother-of-two could show off her ‘natural’ self doing what she loves – hosting her friends and family at her rented £5million reality TV mansion.
‘Meghan is the hostess with the most. Literally for years she has been like this,’ she said.
‘But I really was there just to support her and surround her. This is her heart, that show is her heart, it was so natural and [I was] really just there to have fun and to delight in her and to be a safe space.
‘We have a very private friendship, so choosing to let people in on part of that is… it’s very private but I’m glad that we got to share a little bit of it.’
Abigail has been by Meghan’s side for many of her most important moments including attending her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and hosting a baby shower for the Duchess in New York before the birth of the couple’s first child Archie.
Meghan and Abigail – who received one of the Duchess’ first jars of her famed jam – share the exact same birthday and refer to themselves as ‘birthday soul sisters’.
On Sunday, the eve of her 44th birthday, Meghan took to social media to share a teaser for her lifestyle brand As ever.
The Duchess of Sussex shared a video of herself carrying a wicker basket filled with flowers and bottles of As Ever Napa Valley rosé laid in white linen.
While Meghan’s face did not feature in the video, it showed her wearing a short white dress as she frolicked in the grass, thought to be at her Montecito estate near Santa Barbara, California.
She showed off her stack of rings on her left ring finger, including her engagement ring, wedding ring and an infinity ring, estimated to be worth around £210,000.
She also wore a gold Cartier Love Bracelet, which costs up to £7,050, and a gold Cartier Tank Watch that once belonged to Princess Diana, both of which she regularly wears.
The clip later showed a view of Meghan’s swinging feet as she sits atop a stone garden wall, clad in £720 tan-coloured Hermes Santorini sandals.
The words ‘Coming soon…’ appeared over the video to tease the launch of her new 2024 Napa Valley Rosé.
Shared on the official As Ever Instagram page last night, the caption read: ‘Goodness in a glass. Right around the corner…Cheers to August!’
Meghan’s latest post comes after she announced another product coming to her As Ever line – although some of her customers were baffled as to what was actually new.
The Duchess launched her lifestyle brand As ever earlier this year, releasing the first products in April, which included a range of teas, a raspberry spread, and a limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb, amongst other things.
She followed it up with an apricot spread and another honey, and in July, she expanded into the world of alcohol when she dropped her own wine – the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé.
Each release has been met with fierce excitement from her fans, and every product has sold out pretty quickly.
Now, the Duchess of Sussex‘s brand has announced its newest product… but it might not garner the same amount of enthusiasm since it’s not very different from her last item.
The company revealed on Wednesday that following the buzz surrounding the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé, it will be launching another wine, with a slight tweak – calling it the 2024 Napa Valley Rosé.
And it vowed that it will pretty much taste the same as As Ever’s first wine.
‘It marries the same harmony of notes from our first blend and creates an elegant medley of delicate yet memorable flavor,’ reads a press release.
‘You’ll want to clink glasses with friends as the sun sets, toasting to a summer of joy.
‘Barefoot or in sandals, dressed up or dressed down, this rosé may become your favorite accessory for alfresco lunches and dinners at dusk.’
In the release, As Ever listed some of the positive feedback customers had given the company over its first rosé, which included comments like, ’10 out of 10,’ ‘perfect,’ and ‘elevated flavor’.
‘This affirmed all of the love, time and effort our team, and our founder, poured into curating this blend to evoke the sun drenched spirit of Napa Valley, and the breathtaking tenor of the California Coast,’ As Ever added.
‘Thank you for filling our cup. Now it’s time for us to fill your glass! We are pleased to share that our 2024 Napa Valley Rosé will be available for purchase next week.’
The brand also posted to Instagram with a series of images showing the new wine resting in beach sand.
It was uploaded alongside a caption that read: ‘Oh, how we love seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Rosé colored glasses? Perhaps even better.
‘Our new vintage of As Ever’s beloved rosé is available next week.
‘Stay tuned for more details and timing.’
As Ever’s first wine went on sale on July 1 and sold out within the hour.
Customers were able to purchase three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159, and 12 bottles for $300.
Last month, Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the alcoholic beverage is made by Fairwinds Estate, a California winery that creates bespoke wines for celebrities.
The 2023 Napa Valley Rosé is described on the bottle as a ‘delicately balanced rosé with soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality, and a lasting finish.’
It has a 14.5 percent alcohol by volume for the 750ML bottle.
The Daily Mail FEMAIL team tried the rosé and while the wine was smooth, we couldn’t easily detect the notes of stone fruit. In fact, it tasted quite bland, and almost water-y.
In addition, the rosé had some acidic notes, leaving a somewhat uncomfortable sensation at the back of our throats after swallowing.
In the end, the verdict was the wine lacked flavor and tasted affordable and ordinary. It wasn’t terrible – but it certainly wasn’t great.
We felt the rosé just didn’t taste like you bought it at a fancy vineyard, where it’s supposed to be made, but rather, like a wine you would be served at a work happy hour.
The FEMAIL team also reviewed her initial set of products, and found that Meghan’s raspberry spread was too thin, too sweet, and very runny.
Her hibiscus tea was extremely bitter with heavy notes of floral, with one taste tester comparing it to ‘drinking lip balm.’
‘It tasted like dirty dishwater,’ another FEMAIL writer shared.
Some of us couldn’t even bear to swallow it, as one person even spat it back into the cup.
As for her honey, we didn’t enjoy the ‘waxy’ taste of the honeycomb or the super strong wildflower aftertaste.
