Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard Launch Hints Something Big Is Coming to Netflix — Report
After much speculation, Meghan Markle is finally back in the lifestyle space. The Duchess of Sussex announced her newest project, a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard, with an Instagram account and video clip (more on those ahead). And that’s not all. Meghan’s reportedly weaving in the launch of her lifestyle brand with related content on Netflix.
Meghan unveiled American Riviera Orchard on March 14
In a low-key move, Meghan announced her lifestyle brand not with an official statement or press release but with an Instagram account and teaser clip.
On March 14, 2024, American Riviera Orchard’s Instagram account went live with a photo grid of the brand’s name — a reported nod to Meghan’s life in Montecito, California — in calligraphy (for which the former actor’s known to do). A bio reading: “by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex” followed by “Established in 2024” followed.
Also included is a link to the brand’s website, americanriviera.com, and waitlist sign-up. As for the video on Instagram Stories, it showed Meghan arranging flowers, cooking, and standing in a gown as Nancy Wilson’s “I Wish You Love” played.
The video didn’t include a launch date — sorry, fans of The Tig — just the American Riveria Orchard logo in gold lettering identical to the photo grid.
The significance of the date Meghan chose to unveil her latest foray into the lifestyle space didn’t go unnoticed. People online were quick to point out it had been four years to the day since Meghan and Harry boarded their “freedom flight” to California, before eventually settling in Montecito.
Meghan’s lifestyle brand overlaps with Netflix deal, cooking show coming
According to The Daily Mail, Meghan’s American Riveria Orchard will eventually include a Netflix cooking show as part of her and Prince Harry’s deal with the streaming service.
“The brand is meant to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show for Netflix,” a source told the outlet, noting, “At some point, there will be a book and blog.”
Cooking for an audience isn’t anything new to Meghan. She shared recipes on her defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, before joining the royal family. In her years on Suits, she also talked about food and sometimes whipped up a dish for TV and magazine interviews. More recently, on a 2023 episode of her Archetypes podcast, Meghan said making breakfast for her family is “very important” to her.
“This link to Netflix is very important,” Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal expert, said (via The Sun). “And clearly, of course, they’ve released this to point out that they, the Sussexes, are still going strong.”
Prior to Meghan’s soft launch of her lifestyle brand, speculation surrounding the five-year Netflix partnership had come up multiple times since the start of the year.
Some saw the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s slow progress in releasing new projects to be a sign of quality. Others predicted challenges as the deal, which they inked in 2020, winds down, and the streamer will have to decide whether or not they want to continue.
American Riviera Orchard is poised to sell homewares, food, cookbooks, and more
A cooking show is just one of the many ways Meghan is returning to the lifestyle space via American Riveria Orchard. According to the brand’s trademark application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 2, 2024, the brand plans to sell all sorts of products (via Newsweek).
Some of them include tableware, cutlery, linens, downloadable/printable cookbooks — perhaps to accompany Meghan’s aforementioned cooking show? — nut butters, jellies, jams, stationery, candles, yoga mats, and pet food.
There’s also the possibility of brick-and-mortar American Riviera Orchard locations as the application also seeks “retail store services” as well as online retail store service.
