We’re told Meghan’s syrupy new lifestyle brand will “reflect everything she loves: family cooking, entertaining and home decor.”
But the bizarrely named American Riviera Orchard could better be described as a time bomb for the royal family.
Despite the homely talk of cutlery, recipes and luxury jams, this looks like blatant cash-in – an initiative by the former actress to secure a financial safety net in case the Sussexes’ earnings from Netflix and Spotify evaporate.
Meghan has announced her own lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which will operate from her cream-colored Tuscan-style palazzo in Montecito, California
Make-up, lavender sachets, yoga mats and even dog shampoo are also on Montecito’s menu, MailOnline revealed last night.
Harry and Meghan once pleaded that they were just looking for privacy in North America. They promised the late queen that they would not commercialize their royal titles.
But since landing in California in 2021, they’ve been bragging about their status — and exploiting it.
When American Riviera Orchard launched on Instagram earlier this month, the business was labeled “by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.”
Naturally.
The direction of travel has been clear since Meghan and Harry tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 2018.
At the time, there was enormous public support for the glamorous, dashing American who promised to bring a bit of modernity and spontaneity to the British monarchy.
However, there was nothing cut-and-dried about the invite list.
Few were fooled when they saw the guests arriving at the chapel.
Most were Hollywood agents, directors and celebrities – some of whom Meghan barely knew. Everyone was invited to witness her victory when she joined the company.
This was the first step in creating Meghan Inc., a dream she was reluctant to give up — and one the royal family should rightly fear.
“Everything Meghan does is carefully crafted and forensically planned,” said Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, her former commercial agent.
There have been bumps along the way. To her apparent concern, the British media reserved the right to be critical of her behavior from time to time, but not at first.
To her surprise, Meghan discovered that Harry, then fourth in line to the throne, lived in a two-bedroom cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, did not command an army of servants and did not have a limitless fortune. He didn’t even have a private jet.
For a while, it seemed that these were hardships she was willing to tolerate.
But the rules on the exploitation of royal titles proved to be uncomfortably restrictive.
It was only a matter of time before Meghan revived The Tig, her lucrative website that, until her engagement to Harry in 2017, offered lifestyle choices – and promoted luxury fashion labels – to a million followers.
Now her lifestyle brand appears to be back, this time adorned with royal bells and whistles.
It’s true that Meghan isn’t the first royal to walk this path.
It was ridiculed when Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, used her title to cash in on items including slimming tips, fancy tea and a £50 juicer.
But Fergie didn’t spotlight the British monarchy through interviews and books. Nor did she try to establish a rival royal family across the water.
I’m glad the Queen did not survive to witness her grandson’s explosive memoir, Spare, about the Royal Family.
Or see how Harry allows his wife’s exploitation of his friends and relatives.
When Kate, who has been vilified by Meghan, is struggling with serious health issues, the timing of the American Riviera Orchard’s announcement seemed particularly insipid, even before the Princess of Wales’s shock diagnosis.
Makeup, lavender sachets, dog shampoo and yoga mats are also on Montecito’s menu
Now, Meghan’s proposed lifestyle brand is adorned with royal bells
It also appears that the project was rushed. Meghan has not yet appointed a CEO to run the company, as the Mail revealed yesterday.
In her haste to get it launched, has she forgotten the fundamentals of a successful operation: talented staff?
The King and Prince William now face a serious problem – and a woman whose personal drive and hungry ambition seem to know no bounds.
“She wanted to rule the world,” Nelthorpe-Cowne says of their collaboration, words King Charles should remember.
So far he has been too accommodating.
It’s a shame that the King agreed to give royal titles to Sussex children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Now, after the launch of Meghan’s lifestyle brand, he probably regrets it.
The clue lies in a recent decision to sharply reduce the formal biographies of Harry and Meghan on the Buckingham Palace website. The next step should be to remove their titles.
That will be difficult for Charles. But as the King and Kate recover from their illnesses and rebuild the institution, this is a necessary step: to protect the sanctity of Britain’s most precious brand, the royal family itself.
Tom Bower is the author of Revenge – Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors. Published by Simon and Schuster