Launch of Meghan Markle’s new brand came on same day as VERY special Sussex anniversary – proving timing
THE launch of Meghan Markle's new brand came on the very same day as the Sussexes' "freedom flight" to the US after Megxit.
The Duchess, 42, revealed a new lifestyle venture "flogging homeware and jam" last night - just moments before Prince William stepped out on stage at the Diana Legacy Awards.
An Instagram page and website for American Riviera Orchard went live featuring a gold-coloured crest.
The logo included the word Montecito - the celebrity enclave where the couple have lived since 2020 - which is close to Santa Barbara, itself sometimes known as the American Riviera.
The social media account's biography simply reads: "By Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex."
The launch was accompanied by a grainy, retro-style promotional video in which Meghan is seen arranging flowers and baking in a kitchen.
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A mailing list offered users the chance to sign up to become "the first to know about products, availability, and updates from American Riviera Orchard."
However the glitzy social media post came just before William's speech at the Di ceremony last night.
And royal commentators said the timing around the business launch was no accident.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said Meghan's decision to launch the new business on the day of the Princess Diana Awards was "meticulously" planned.
He said Meghan knew it would gain traction - and took advantage of it.
"The timing simply means that obviously [yesterday would have got them] a lot of promotion," Richard told The Sun.
But it seems the date was even more significant as it marked the fourth anniversary of Megxit.
Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, eventually settling in their sprawling Montecito mansion.
They have lived there ever since with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
And the Sussexes' bombshell Netflix series showed Prince Harry filming himself grinning on their "freedom flight" to the US.
In the clip, the prince beamed widely as he said: "We are on the freedom flight."
It comes as Prince Harry also participated in the Princess Diana Awards by speaking to the winners in a video call, but his brother had already left the building.
They said: "It's a lifestyle and cooking brand called American Riviera Orchard.
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"The brand is meant to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show for Netflix.
"Meghan will be making, and selling, products such as jams. And at some point there will be a book and blog."
Markle sparkle: Duchess' business ventures from wellness blog The Tig to kids' book The Bench
ALONG with her well-known acting career Meghan Markle has also carved out something of a career in the business world.
Before getting engaged to Prince Harry, the Suits actress had her lifestyle blog The Tig, but this was closed down when she got engaged in 2017.
The Tig, named after her favourite wine Tignanello, was seen as something as a rival to Gwyneth Paltrow's £200million Goop, which offers similar wellness and "conscious living" content.
She previously described it as a "passion project" which "evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity".
Since stepping down as senior royals, the couple have produced a podcast, Netflix documentary and memoir, as well as several high-profile interviews between them.
These are said to have made them millions of dollars.
Speaking in docuseries Harry & Meghan, the mum-of-two said of the blog: "It wasn't just a hobby, it became a really successful business.
"I've never really been the type of person to do only one thing. I guess that's how my website was born.
"There was fashion, tons of food, and travel - all the things that I loved."
Rumours emerged in March last year that Meghan was going to relaunch the blog.
Meghan also ventured into the world of children's books with the launch of The Bench in June 2021.
Inside Meghan's 34-page book The Bench, the illustrations give a fresh glimpse into the Sussexes' "authentic" life at their LA home - featuring their then newborn daughter.
The publication was a commerical success with it becoming a number one bestseller on Amazon's chart.
Meghan dedicated her book to the "man and boy who make my heart go pump-pump" in a sweet note for her husband Prince Harry and son Archie.
The mum was "inspired" to write the book after originally creating a poem for Harry's first Father's Day.
The royal couple have also been reported to be planning an Oprah-style media empire after registering a series of new entertainment businesses.
A leading royal commentator says the couple "want to earn loads more money" after they filed 11 companies in tax haven Delaware - seven of which are linked to showbiz ventures.
They appear to have names which are meaningful to the couple, with one – Cloverdale Inc – bearing the same name as the street that the Duchess lived on with her mother in Los Angeles when she was young.
Both Cloverdale and a second company, Riversoul Productions Inc, are set up explicitly in the "entertainment" industry, and join companies Hampshire LLC, Bridgemont LLC and IPHW LLC.
The couple are already using name Archewell Productions for their Netflix and Spotify deals.