Meghan Markle appears to be launching a new lifestyle brand after at least one failed business venture.
The 42-year-old former working royal, who is married to Prince Harry, debuted American Riviera Orchard with nine photos which combined to depict the company logo on Instagram. As of Friday morning, the account had more than 382,000 followers.
The Instagram launch included a short video posted to stories showing a person arranging flowers, Meghan stirring a pot in a kitchen, and a woman posing in a ballgown. The bio section of the Instagram account says “by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex” and “Established 2024.” The accompanying website doesn’t have any info besides a place for fans to sign up to be on the waitlist.
Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan ran the lifestyle site The Tig. She shut it down prior to becoming the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan and Harry settled in California after leaving the working royal life and settled in an area of the state known as the American Riviera.
The brand’s trademark filing application includes cookbooks, tableware, linens, spreads and preserves including jellies, jams and nut butters, and table place card holders, per The Guardian. A second international registration application encompasses stationery, textiles, string bags, yoga gear and pet-related items.
The Duchess of Sussex has worked on several business ideas since leaving life in London. She and Harry signed a five-year deal with Netflix and also inked a Spotify contract which ended in 2023. Meghan’s Archetypes podcast had mixed reviews and wasn’t renewed for a second season.
Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, slammed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they parted ways with the platform.
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“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Megan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation,” he said in January 2023. “‘The F***ing Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we shoulda launched with them. I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
“Shoot this guy to the sun. I’m so tired of this guy,” Simmons said of Prince Harry. “What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews. … Who cares about your life? You weren’t even the favorite son.”
A source told The Sun that the brand’s launch is meant to coincide with a new cooking show on Netflix, but rumors have been rampant that Harry and Meghan’s partnership with the streaming platform has also been in jeopardy.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the outlet that the brand launch could be a means to keep the partnership going.
“Obviously this is another opportunity for them to point out that there’s a link to Netflix with Meghan’s new project,” Fitzwilliams told the outlet. “Now, that’s particularly significant. They’re very nervous about the Netflix contract, which expires next year. It’s worth $100million and is absolutely pivotal for them because they lost Spotify.”