When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their new website, it was called defiant and gauche by the royals.
The pair was slammed for deciding to perturb a cancer-stricken King Charles III with the PR stunt. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were told that they were breaking the royal rules.
They were reminded of the contract that they signed during the crisis meeting at the “Sandringham Summit,” in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles, and Prince William.
The terms and conditions of the contract that were clearly set in stone stated that they could not use the Royal and Sussex brands or their titles commercially.
A source from the Palace told The Daily Mail at the time: “They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title, and if there is any hint of commercialism about it, it will be shut down. It’s just staggering; they cannot see how gauche it is.”
Guess what? Meghan Markle has decided to use her royal adjacency to be a power player and make millions in the process. The Californian has opted to use her full royal name and title, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, to launch a lucrative business.
This week, Markle said that the wait is over as she officially rolled out her business venture. Prince Harry’s wife has announced her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
The former actress-turned-princess unveiled a new Instagram account that featured a glossy vintage-inspired teaser video and shared the website for the brand.
In the video, The Duchess of Sussex is seen rearranging flowers in a vase and preparing a meal or cake in her stunning Montecito kitchen.
Sources have revealed to Page Six that Markle has decided to create a bigger and better version of her old lifestyle blog, The Tig.
The mother of two will focus on “home, garden, food, and general lifestyle wares.” She will have a cookery show on Netflix and will release a cookbook soon.
An industry source told the media outlet: “She’s been working on this for over a year, and it’s all the things that are close to her heart—all the things she’s passionate about.”
A trademark application obtained by Page Six Style revealed that “American Riviera Orchard will sell a wide range of home goods, including edible treats like jellies, jams, and spreads, and tableware staples such as cutlery, table linens, and drinkware. Cookbooks are also covered in the filing.”
Talking to The Daily Mail, brand expert Hayley Knight said that Markle will be able to make a fortune because of the anticipation and drama leading up to this launch.
She can sell and influence as much as Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Goop and Kourtney Kardashian‘s Poosh.
Knight predicted: “I’m sure we can expect homely, yet stylish, unique, modern designs for the stylish and modern home, with undertones of spirituality and mindfulness.”
The brand expert admitted: “Meghan will certainly see success quickly once the store is launched. We have seen with previous celebrity launches, that the demand is incredibly high, and products sell quickly.”
She continued: “I can’t imagine Meghan will make less than six figures within the first few weeks of opening, if not in the first week if the company sells globally”
Knight believes that Markle will use her social media platform, which has nearly a million followers, to promote the brand and paid posts.
She added: “However, there is a chance she could do interviews, and IG lives with other people within the industry, and if they’re paid opportunities, she can gain upwards of $1M per post.”
It is unclear how and when King Charles and The Firm will react to this latest development in Montecito.
