Meghan Markle Is Still ‘Very Much Committed’ to American Riviera Orchard Despite Major Setback
Meghan Markle has been building a new life for herself since she and Prince Harry left the royal family behind in 2020. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now live in the United States, and after spending their first couple of years here telling their stories, the two are finally working on business ventures that don’t involve the royal family.
Meghan has soft-launched her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, but we haven’t heard much about it recently. That’s because the duchess has faced some setbacks on the back end of the brand, but insiders say she is still “very much committed” to making it happen.
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand has faced a recent setback
Meghan surprised everyone in spring 2024 when she returned to Instagram with her American Riviera Orchard account. The duchess’ lifestyle brand then made the rounds with celebrities after Meghan sent jams to a number of high-profile faces, including model Chrissy Teigen. But ever since, things have been pretty silent regarding Meghan’s new venture. Now, reports say that the duchess’ trademarking process has faced a major setback.
According to Express, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected Meghan’s trademark request for her brand for a number of reasons, including having to amend her identification of goods on some products, and other product descriptions being too broad to properly trademark (think: products like “cocktail napkins” and “utensils” not being specific enough).
Still, the setback has not stopped Meghan from working toward officially launching her brand. “The process for acquiring a trademark is extremely rigorous,” a source close to the duchess told Express. “It would be a surprise if Meghan had not received one before in trying to get her application through. She is still very much committed to her brand and has three months to respond. There is no way this will lead to abandonment.” That last thought refers to the idea that if Meghan doesn’t address the trademark issues within three months, the trademark application will be abandoned, but that likely won’t happen.
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand hinges on her popularity
There is one additional problem with Meghan’s business ventures: They hinge on her being well-liked. Meghan is working on both a lifestyle brand and a Netflix cooking show, and popularity plays a big role in terms of people buying her products and watching her show.
Meghan has struggled to gain momentum with her popularity in the US, so it’s unclear how well her brands will due if she doesn’t improve her reputation.
There have been rumors that Meghan wants to get at least some royal family members on her side, and she’s leaning on people like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. But it’s also possible that until the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make some sort of progress with Harry’s family, they could struggle in the public eye.
