Meghan Markle thinks the name of her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, is “perfect”, it was reported today – a PR expert suggested the Duchess may have chosen not to include its own name due to its declining popularity in the United States.
Meghan, 42, launched American Riviera Orchard in a glitzy social media video last week, with the new business launched to coincide with a new Netflix cooking show featuring her.
Royal watchers immediately slammed the name as “pretentious” and “word salad”, with former Dragons Den star Duncan Bannatyne stepping in to dismiss it as “nonsense”.
But the Duchess is said to have the name, and a close source insisted it felt “authentic” to her. The source said People: “Meghan thinks the name American Riviera Orchard is perfect. It seems authentic to him. She can’t wait for the website to launch.
Sean O’Meara, founder of the company Essential Content PR, predicted that Meghan’s decision not to include her own name in the brand could be a reflection of her waning popularity in America.
Meghan Markle (right, with Prince Harry) thinks the name of her new brand is ‘perfect,’ source says
The name American Riviera Orchard has been described by critics as “word salad”
Meghan, 42, launched American Riviera Orchard in a glitzy social media video last week
A survey published last month by News week found that Meghan was liked by 31 percent and disliked by 30 percent, giving her a net approval rating of plus one. This is a significant drop from December, when it was +15.
Mr O’Meara told MailOnline: ‘Meghan and Harry’s collective and individual approaches to ‘personal branding’ have gradually evolved since the backlash to their Netflix documentary.
“They are all less enthusiastic about having their names and images attached to the projects they are working on.
“Last summer, PR advisers were speculating that this might be advice from their own team, which seemed to have urged them to step back from the limelight.
“With this in mind, Meghan’s launch of a lifestyle brand that does not feature her name or likeness seems consistent with the recent approach.
“I think this ‘private label’ approach is a way to limit Meghan’s visibility, while still allowing the brand to forge its own personality. Consider Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Goop” for a similar approach.
“When needed, Gwyneth can promote the brand with the weight of her celebrity, but the brand is not inextricably linked to her.
“Often, taking steps to separate a founder from the brand they are launching is done with an eye toward an exit strategy. It’s easier to sell a brand when it doesn’t rely on a single personality for its market presence.
The comments come as Harry and Meghan were ‘downgraded’ on Buckingham Palace’s official website last night.
Despite their acrimonious resignation as senior royals in January 2020, full and separate profiles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remained alongside the rest of the royal family until yesterday morning.
Last night, these photos and biographies briefly disappeared.
Within half an hour they were replaced by a much smaller joint biography, right at the bottom of the page – under the Duke of York. The Sussexes’ entry now states that they have stepped down as royals, with only a few short paragraphs about each of them.
Despite growing public anger over their continued inclusion, the palace has consistently sidestepped questions about why their details remained online despite the couple quitting royal duties four years ago and launching repeated attacks on the royal family in print and television interviews.
The brand’s advertising materials make no attempt to hide Meghan’s royal connections, with her Instagram profile including the caption “by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.”
It was suggested that the press office was “slowly” updating the website following Queen Elizabeth’s death and would “get there in time”.
Harry’s original profile described him as fifth in line to the throne and the youngest son of the King and Diana, Princess of Wales. His 2,700-word biography included details of the prince’s early life, education and military career and was peppered with glossy images.
It also presented details of his work in setting up the Invictus Games, his work on the issue of HIV-positive children and his sporting initiatives.
There was also an entire section titled “Supporting the Monarch,” which included her time as a royal working for her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
He said he had represented her at events in the UK and abroad, as well as on official and ceremonial occasions, including Remembrance events.
Meghan’s separate profile was slightly shorter – around 1,300 words – and included her education and acting career, as well as the charitable commitments she undertook during her brief time as a working member of the royal family.
Interestingly, there was no mention of her parents, including her estranged father Thomas Markle.
However, in what many will see as a marked downgrade in their status, the couple now only share a joint bio showing a photo of them arm in arm on a beach in South Africa, with a combined word count of only 577.
They are now the only married members of the royal family who do not have their own individual profile. Harry’s includes just a few words about his birth and upbringing, as well as his career in the armed forces and his work with the Invictus Games.
Meghan simply says she was an actress and ran a website, while briefly including her patronages as a working royal and her official titles.
Meghan’s new project has reportedly been in the works for over a year – and features “all the things she cares about”.
Their new entry begins by stating that they stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 and ends with the three official statements released by Buckingham Palace between 2020 and 2021 confirming their departure. However, in a gracious gesture, the Palace also included a link to Harry and Meghan’s new website.
The link states: “Information about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s current work can be found on their official website: Sussex.com. »
Sources insisted the changes should not be seen as a snub, but a long-overdue update. The Duke of York’s entry was also updated last night, sealing his disgrace.
In what will undoubtedly be yet another humiliating relegation, his drastically shortened biography now begins with the announcement of his withdrawal from public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – and Queen Elizabeth’s decision to strip him of his military affiliations and of his royal patronage. Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night, but noted that the website’s design and content were updated “from time to time”.
A source said the couple’s separate pages had been consolidated into one as part of a routine content update.
A “technical issue” required some time for the system to update to include the new common profile.