Meghan Markle has launched her lifestyle brand’s first product, and it’s already raising eyebrows among royal watchers.
On March 14, the Duchess of Sussex opened a new Instagram account, teasing her latest venture, American Riviera Orchard. Although there was no official announcement from the former American actress or her husband, prince harry.
On April 15, fashion designer Tracy Robbins and Delfina Blaquier, photographer and wife of polo player Nacho Figueras, first shared a photo of the brand’s first product, strawberry jam, on their Instagram Stories. .
Meghan Markle builds a lifestyle empire as royal family grapples with health issues
The brand logo on the bottle appears to be handwritten by Markle. The mother of two had a part-time job teaching calligraphy when she was an actress, People magazine reported.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the podcast To Di For Daily, hinted that the timing of the release was unpleasant. king charles iii and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, are battling cancer. Schofield noted that now would have been the perfect time for the family to make amends and present a united front.
Read on the FOX News app
“Her ultimate goal today is to build an empire, change public perception through relevant Netflix content, and build a lifestyle brand through retail and content production,” Schofield told FOX News Digital. “However, some may see it as just Meghan returning to being an influencer. This is an area in which she is confident, so she may do well, but the Compared to the hype…this is what it’s like.”It comes down to something very…shallow. ”
“If Meghan had been more patient and had more respect for the institution of the royal family, 2024 could have been the year that Harry and Meghan saved the day and saved the monarchy,” Schofield said. “This should have been their time to shine. Instead, Meghan is delivering nonperishable food baskets to the 1% of Santa Barbara. She has lived a life of service and that’s enough.”
American actress Markle, 42, married Prince Harry in 2018 and became the Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry, 39, has had troubled relations with the royal family since quitting royal duties in 2020 and moving to California with his wife. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex say the move was prompted by the intolerable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Click here to sign up for our entertainment newsletter
The couple currently lives in the wealthy coastal city of Montecito. Santa Barbara County is known as “America’s Riviera.”
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that she was troubled by the announcement. In 2021, the couple’s office announced that they “remain committed to their duty and service to the United Kingdom and the world and have provided continued support to the organizations they have represented, regardless of their official roles.”
“We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,” the statement reads.
“The former power couple who intended to change lives for the better, influence world opinion and leaders, improve the environment, and proclaim a life of service with the statement ‘Service is universal’ now… So we’ve got a whiplash traffic jam,” Fordwich said. .
“They preach humanitarianism publicly, but what happened to helping the poor and hungry?” she said. “Some may wonder if the proceeds from the jam will be donated to humanitarian causes. Is she going to feed them her jam? In line with their philanthropic and humanitarian causes. Maybe all the proceeds will be donated?”
People magazine noted that it has been confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be returning to their royal roles in 2021, and have lost their patronage or association with a number of British charities. Prince Harry has also been stripped of his honorary military posts, the paper said.
But according to Christopher Andersen, author of The King, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“Obviously Meghan was influenced by her father-in-law, who launched a food range under the Duchy of Cornwall label as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall,” Andersen said of the king.
“One of his most successful things was a line of homemade jams, jellies and preserves,” he said. “When Prince Charles became king, Prince William and Duchess Kate inherited the duchy and all its produce, amounting to a not-so-shabby $30 million a year.”
“A jar of strawberry jam in the Duchy of Cornwall sells for $3.50, but it is doubtful that Meghan is aiming for such a low price,” he said. “Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand has only produced 50 jars of jam so far, so Meghan Markle has also been working with brands like Julianne Moore and Revlon, who sold limited edition honey for $250 a jar. -They’re likely to follow in the footsteps of celebrities like James. That’s not charity.”
“American Riviera Orchard is touted as a premium gourmet food, kitchenware and tableware brand, and is a combination of Williams-Sonoma and the House of Windsor,” Andersen continued. “That seems like a pretty safe choice, unless, of course, they stick a $250 price tag on jam or jelly and pocket the proceeds. Especially since everyone flocks to William and Kate’s purveyors. It doesn’t look good under these circumstances. She sells jams and jellies for as little as $3.50 while fighting cancer.”
Doug Eldridge, agent, celebrity branding and marketing expert, and founder of Achilles PR, tells Fox News Digital that several other celebrities have already launched successful lifestyle empires. The Duchess of Sussex said she had the perfect job for her.
Like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
“Markle is not Martha Stewart. [Rachael] Mr. Ray said the former had a sophisticated sense of decor and dinner parties, while the latter cornered the market on friendly girl-next-door dining, Mr. Eldridge said. Creative Entertainment – You should strive to follow in the footsteps of other Hollywood stars who have turned box office sales into multi-billion dollar brands. ”
“Gwyneth Paltrow made money on Goop,” Eldridge said. “Reese Witherspoon hit a home run with Draper James. Jessica Alba made it with ‘The Honest Company.’ Jennifer Garner made money with ‘Once Upon a Farm Organics.’ Each of these actresses had more star power than Markle, so they definitely must have had the brains.” When it comes to launching a brand and leveraging a loyal audience, it’s difficult, but still. Ms. Markle could succeed. ”
It looks like Markle is just getting started. The duchess filed two additional trademark applications on March 9 and March 19 to expand her lifestyle brand into cosmetics and gardening.
The March 9 application listed items such as bath soaps, body creams, cosmetics, fragrance oils, fragrances and incense. Also listed are “non-medicated skin care preparations, bath and shower gels and salts for non-medical purposes, and non-medicated hair preparations.”
The most recent application, dated March 19, states: “Garden tool gift set consisting of a gardening trowel, garden weeding fork, gardening shears, a bag specialized for holding gardening hand tools, and gardening hand tools.” We have expanded the range of our brand.
The first trademark applications, filed in February, included textile products, cutlery, “jellies, jams and marmalades” and various food spreads. The brand may also feature “coffee service in the nature of tableware, tea service in the nature of tableware, tableware for serving food and drinks, decanters” and other beverage ware. He also said.
Duchess Kate’s cancer may finally end Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s royal feud: expert:
The application said cookbooks and retail space should also be included in the application.
The Real Housewives of Montecito may be impressed by Jam, but the jury is still out across America.
“The question is, what is the jam market like?” Eldridge said. “Most people can name it Smucker’s, Welch’s, or the classic Polaner All Fruit.”Ironically, the jam is arguably more popular in the UK than in the US. Markle has burned the boat in spectacular fashion when it comes to the royal family and the British consumer base, so we’ll have to see how it fares on this side of the pond. ”
Original article source: Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand launches, social media influencer skewered by royal watchers
