Being a member of the royal family automatically means you're a trendsetter. Ever since Meghan Markel's engagement to Prince Harry was first announced, people have been excitedly copying what she wears, her beauty routine, and her vacations. Now, fans can even hydrate like her thanks to a new seltzer flavor inspired by the Duchess of Sussex. As part of its Limited Edition Winter 2018 collection, Polar Seltzer recently announced the introduction of Vanilla Zen, a new flavor that features "noble vanilla with serene touches of pomegranate." According to the brand's press release about the Winter 2018 beverages, this particular flavor was "secretly inspired by our new American Princess the magnificent Ms. Markle."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
While it isn't the first time that flavors favored by Meghan Markle have inspired a beverage — back in May, shortly after details of the royal wedding cake were revealed, Trader Joe's released a soda that featured the cake's lemon elderflower flavors — the Duchess's connection with vanilla and pomegranate wasn't automatically clear to us. We reached out to Polar Seltzer to find out more about the flavor's backstory, but a rep simply explained via email, "We always have people or events that inspire our recipes, this time we happened to say it out loud! You will have to try Vanilla Zen to really understand the inspiration!" Perhaps it just makes you feel royal when you take a sip?
Markle does use vanilla extract as one of the five ingredients in her chia seed pudding, a go-to snack that she always keeps in her fridge, so maybe that dish informed Polar's drink flavor decision. Or, as the Boston Globe hypothesized, the flavor could have been inspired by the Duchess's apparent love for vanilla smoothies. It's hard to say for sure.
Another possibility is that Polar Seltzer mentioned Markle in the announcement of Vanilla Zen in hopes that she would try it out, enjoy it, and inevitably make it go viral like seemingly everything else she touches. In 2010, Coca Cola announced that it would stop producing Malvern Water. According to the Telegraph, this mineral water brand was a favorite of the Queen's. She gave it a royal warrant and was said to have traveled with crates of it when she went to foreign countries. So, with Malvern Mineral Water out of the way as the royal family's favorite, that does free up some space for Polar Seltzer.