Despite multiple professional setbacks, bullying claims, and even reports that she and husband Harry are ‘grifters’, Meghan Markle is not one to admit defeat.
So, it’s no surprise that she managed to put a positive spin on her most recent U-turn last week, after being forced to change the name of her new lifestyle brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever. But the shock move has, once again, failed to make the expected impact, with a source telling Closer that critics in royal circles have dubbed it ‘budget’, ‘rushed’ and ‘embarrassing’.
Taking to her Instagram page, the Duchess of Sussex revealed in a video that – two weeks ahead of the debut of her Netflix cookery show, With Love, Meghan – she’s changed the name of her brand, explaining that the former title, with its close association to her and Harry’s neighbourhood of Santa Barbara, ‘limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area’. Instead, she’ll be selling ‘fruit preserves’ as well as homeware and gardening items.
What she didn’t add was that the brand name American Riviera Orchard has been beset by trademark issues ever since Meghan first announced it to the world last March, reportedly landing her in legal knots that made it impossible to continue. Instead, the duchess was adamant that the name change was her own choosing, telling followers in an Instagram post that she’d first secured it in 2022, and adding, ‘“As ever” essentially means “as it’s always been”.’
But despite Meghan’s ostensibly happy news, there was no way to quieten her critics, who couldn’t help but notice the slap-dash timing of her announcement – which seemed to come suddenly, and urgently, ahead of the release of her Netflix show.
According to sources, the relaunch is not fooling anybody – not least back in the UK, where royal insiders are saying that the last-minute name change and constant mixed messages only serve to cheapen Meghan’s image as a ‘budget royal’.
‘It’s caused quite a bit of amusement within certain circles,’ says a source. ‘WhatsApp messages have been going back and forth where a new name “As If” has been coined – a light-hearted take on the likelihood of this being yet another flop. It all seems very ill-prepared. The brand name dispute, the rushing and the desperately clutching at straws comes across as her not knowing what she’s doing. It’s all very budget royal.’
This, of course, isn’t the first time that Harry and Meghan have backtracked on promises. In 2023, a Spotify executive infamously labelled them ‘fu**ing grifters’ after they failed to deliver on their multimillion-dollar deal. Meanwhile, despite Meghan’s upcoming Netflix show (and the streaming giant’s recent decision to invest in her lifestyle brand), the couple have not produced the level of high-quality content they teased when they first partnered with the service in 2020.
Earlier this year, Vanity Fair published a damning expose of the pair, which included claims that they’re both pretty clueless when it comes to pitching creative ideas. With so much already written about their failure to deliver, it’s no surprise that, below the surface, Meghan’s apparently feeling the sting of humiliation.
‘Meghan is trying very hard to get things right,’ our source reveals. ‘So, to have all the setbacks and negative comments doesn’t help. She wants to be liked but is often misunderstood. She wants the world to see what Harry sees in her.’
With this in mind, we’re told she’s pushing ahead with this latest rebrand – and is focused on proving her naysayers wrong. Meanwhile, just as those in William and Kate’s inner circle aren’t shy in throwing shade her way, it’s clear she’s ready to throw it right back. Speaking in her recent Instagram video to announce As Ever, she made a subtle nod to her fleeting time as a royal – during which time she was forced to shut down her former lifestyle blog, The Tig.
‘If you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig you’ll know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening – this is what I do,’ she said, adding in a pointed message to the royals, ‘I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can.’
For now, it seems Meghan’s making every effort to make As Ever a success – even using a picture of her and her daughter Lilibet, three (who’s rarely been seen in public) skipping across their Montecito lawn as the main photo on her website. Our source adds, ‘There’s clearly a great deal riding on this latest venture – and time will tell if it will be the smash-hit success she hopes, or if Meghan will end up in yet another jam.'