A food bank volunteer who became an unexpected social media sensation after her deadpan exchange with Meghan Markle during a quasi-royal visit is, in fact, a millionaire businesswoman, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Helen Teasdale, 71, appeared unimpressed by the Duchess of Sussex’s questions as she demonstrated how to pack a food donation bag—an encounter many online critics branded ‘performative’.
Video of Meghan and Prince Harry’s visit to food poverty charity Himmah in Nottingham quickly went viral. In the footage, Mrs Teasdale tells Meghan that packing the bag is ‘not very difficult’ before holding it open beside a crate of baked beans.
Appearing uncertain, Meghan asks whether she should move to ‘another station’. But the volunteer firmly shakes her head, hands her the bag and tells her to follow.
The brief exchange sparked a frenzy on social media, with many viewers suggesting the Duchess had been put in her place by an ordinary, no-nonsense Nottingham resident.
However, the Daily Mail can reveal that Mrs Teasdale is a wealthy former solicitor who founded the successful Springhead Brewery with her husband. She lives in a grand Victorian mansion regarded as one of the finest homes in the city.
A food bank volunteer who became an unexpected social media sensation after her deadpan reaction to Meghan Markle during a quasi-royal visit is a millionaire businesswoman
The blonde-haired volunteer began her demonstration by telling Meghan that the task was ‘not very difficult’
Helen Teasdale, 71, appeared unimpressed by the Duchess of Sussex’s questions as she demonstrated how to pack a donation bag—an encounter many online critics described as ‘performative’
The award-winning microbrewery, which Mrs Teasdale ran with her husband, Richard Scragg, before it was sold to new owners, supplies ales to supermarket giant Tesco and Britain’s largest pub chain, J D Wetherspoon. One of its signature beers is called ‘Roaring Meg’.
The citrus-flavoured IPA is named not after the former Suits star, who has recently returned to the UK from her native California, but after a Civil War cannon used on the battlefield in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Mrs Teasdale, who remains on the brewery’s board, praised the beer in comments to the local press in 2018, saying: ‘In the evening we might share a bottle of Roaring Meg.
‘It is not over-hopped and has a sweet honey aroma, which appeals to women drinkers. It appeals to men as well as women and to both the young and old.’
Companies House records list Mrs Teasdale as a director and secretary of the brewery, whose slogan is ‘Love at First Pint’. Her 72-year-old husband is also listed alongside her.
Their son, Keir Teasdale, 45, serves as head brewer and leads tours at the brewery on the outskirts of Nottingham. Their daughter, Eve, is also involved in the family business.
The family live in a £1.6million, five-bedroom property on an exclusive private estate about a mile from Nottingham city centre. The home is also a ten-minute walk from the Himmah food bank, where Mrs Teasdale volunteers once a week, usually on Mondays.
The gated Victorian property features a music room, private library and large kitchen with a stone-painted, barrel-vaulted ceiling. It is currently on the market, although the asking price appears to have deterred prospective buyers.
Mrs Teasdale was unavailable for comment when the Mail visited and buzzed the intercom.
A friend, however, said Mrs Teasdale is well known and popular locally. She is also a regular customer at a deli just around the corner from her home.
The friend said: ‘We know Helen really well. She’s a very cheerful person, very chatty and enjoys helping out at the food bank.’
‘We’ve not seen her since she met Harry and Meghan but even though I’ve not managed to catch up with her yet I know she would’ve enjoyed the experience and would’ve been looking forward to it.’
A neighbour added: ‘I know Helen, a lot of people on the estate do. She’s a lovely lady and has lived here for a long time.
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‘The house has been up for sale for a while now, I think the asking price is quite high for potential buyers.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first joint outing in the UK in six years last Thursday in Nottingham, the city where they first appeared as an engaged couple in December 2017.
The award-winning micro-brewery supplies ales to supermarket giant Tesco and Britain’s biggest pub chain JD Weatherspoon
Their signature beer, the ‘Roaring Meg’, is citrus-flavoured IPA named after a Civil War Cannon used on the battlefield in Newark, Nottinghamshire
They arrived hand in hand and stopped to greet well-wishers and pose for selfies.
They visited the Community Recording Studio in the St. Ann’s neighbourhood, which provides mentoring to young people through music, and were given a tour of Epic Partners, an organisation that provides educational activities, sports and support programmes to local families.
But it was their visit to food charity Himmah, based in the Radford area of Nottingham, which grabbed the headlines.
Harry, 42, and Meghan participated in community cooking activities and shared a meal before helping to prepare packages containing basic necessities for those in need.
The visit to Himmah held personal significance for Meghan, who was reunited with some of the women from the Hubb Community Kitchen, a project she helped launch following the devastating fire at London’s Grenfell Tower in June 2017, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
Royal watchers were baffled, however, by the duchess’s ‘performative’ stream of questions to Mrs Teasdale considering the task was so ‘basic’, with one writing on X: ‘It’s wild how she doesn’t understand how an operation of that kind works.’
A manager at Himmah told the Mail: ‘I was personally unaware of any awkwardness at the time because Meghan was busy with the volunteers and I was talking to Harry.
‘Helen is one of our volunteers. She doesn’t have set times but she comes here whenever she has some free time. That’s usually at the beginning of the week.
‘She lives close by and comes in when she can and we’re always grateful for her support.’
The Daily Mail revealed last week that Harry and Meghan had a former Kensington Palace aide and soap opera stripper at their side during their faux-royal walkabout in Nottingham.
As the couple shook hands with supporters, Beth Herlihy, who appeared in Hollyoaks, was discreetly following behind, helping to carry flowers and balloons handed to them by the loving crowd.
The Sussexes’ programme coordinator is the co-founder of PR boutique Herlihy Loughran, having previously worked for the Royal Family before becoming one of Harry and Meghan’s most trusted aides.
Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out a series of royal-style engagements in the East Midlands, marking their first joint appearance since returning to the UK
She travelled to Nottingham with the couple after helping to plan their engagements in the city, walking a few paces behind them as they worked the 100-strong crowd.
The visit comes at a time of intense scrutiny for the couple, who stepped down from their roles as working royals in 2020, following their split from the Royal Family and subsequent move to California.
Their royal status has not changed, something King Charles made clear in an official statement from Buckingham Palace that reiterated their status as private citizens, saying their personal activities do not represent the Royal Family.
In the past Mrs Teasdale has raised support and funding for The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust on her Facebook page.
She has also used her social media to share a Greenpeace campaign, aimed at banning super trawlers from the UK’s protected marine areas, as well as a pro-asylum petition by charity Refugee Action.