It was reported today that Meghan believes the name of her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, is “perfect”. Her PR experts have suggested that Meghan may have chosen not to include her name because of her declining popularity in the United States.
Meghan, 42, unveiled her new business plan in a flashy social media video last week as she launched American Riviera Orchards. Tune in to the new Netflix cooking show featuring her.
Royal watchers were quick to call the name “an exaggeration” and “word salad”, with former Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne also dismissing it as “nonsense”.
However, Duchess Kate is said to be keeping the name, with sources claiming it felt “authentic” to her. A source told People: “Meghan feels the name American Riviera Orchard is perfect. It feels authentic to her. She can't wait for the website to launch.”
Sean O'Meara, founder of the Essential Content PR business, predicted that Meghan's decision not to include her name in branding may reflect her declining popularity in the United States.
A Newsweek poll released last month found Meghan had a net approval rating of +1, with 31% liking her and 30% disliking her. This was a significant drop compared to December, when it was +15.
Mr O'Meara told MailOnline: “Meghan and Harry's collective and individual approach to 'personal branding' has gradually changed since the backlash over the Netflix documentary.”
“Each of them wasn't all that keen to associate their name or image with the projects they were working on.
“Last summer, PR advisers speculated that this was on the advice of their own team, who seemed to be urging them to step back from the public eye.
“With that in mind, it seems consistent with Meghan's recent approach to launching a lifestyle brand that does not feature her name or image.
“I think this 'private label' approach is a way to limit the amount of exposure Meghan has while allowing the brand to develop its own personality. Think of Gwyneth Paltrow's “Goop” for a similar approach.
“If she wants, Gwyneth can use her weight as a celebrity to promote a brand, but the brand is not closely tied to her.
“Steps to separate founders from the brands they launch are often done with an exit strategy in mind. If you don't rely on a single persona for your market presence, It becomes easier to sell your brand.”
The comments come after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan were “downgraded” on Buckingham Palace's official website last night.
Despite their acrimonious resignation as senior royal members in January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's full and separate profiles remained in place until yesterday morning, along with the rest of the royal family.
Last night, those photos and biographies temporarily disappeared.
Within half an hour it was replaced by a much smaller joint biography at the bottom of the page, below the Duke of York. The Sussexes' entries note that they have stepped down from active royal duties, with just a few short paragraphs about each.
Despite growing public anger at their continued inclusion, the couple resigned from royal duties four years ago and have repeatedly attacked the royal family in print and television interviews. , the palace has always dodged questions about why their details were left online.
Since Queen Elizabeth's death, the news agency has been updating its website “slowly” and it has been suggested it will be “in time”.
Prince Harry's original profile listed him as fifth in line to the throne and the second son of the King and Princess Diana. His 2,700-word biography included details of the prince's early life, education, and army career, and was interspersed with glossy photographs.
Also featured were details of his work founding the Invictus Games, his work on the issue of children infected with HIV, and his commitment to sport.
There was also an entire section titled 'Supporting the Monarch', which included the time of his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II as a member of the royal family.
He represented her at events both in the UK and abroad, as well as attending national functions, including memorial services, and weddings and funerals, the paper said.
Meghan's other profile was shorter, at about 1,300 words, and covered her education and acting career, as well as the philanthropic work she did during her short time as a working member of the royal family.
Interestingly, there is no mention of her parents, including her estranged father Thomas Markle.
However, in what many would see as a significant downgrade of their status, the couple now only share a joint biography that features a photo of them arm in arm on a South African beach, with a total word count of It's only 577 words.
They are currently the only married members of the royal family without a personal profile. Harry's quote tells us just a little bit about his birth and upbringing, his military career and his work in the Invictus game.
Meghan only states that she is an actress and runs a website, but also briefly mentions her patronage and official title as a working royal.
Their new entries begin with a statement stating that they stepped back from working royal life in January 2020, and end with three public statements issued by Buckingham Palace from 2020 to 2021 confirming their departure. . However, it is worth noting that, as a generous gesture, the palace also posted a link to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new website.
The link reads: “Information about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's current work can be found on their official website Sussex.com.”
Stakeholders argued that the changes should not be taken lightly and should be seen as a long-awaited update. The Duke of York's article was also updated last night, putting an end to his fall from grace.
His much-shortened biography, which will undoubtedly be another humiliating demotion, comes in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and Queen Elizabeth II's decision to strip him of his military connections and royal patronage. It begins with the announcement of his withdrawal from public life. Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night, but said the website's design and content would be updated “from time to time”.
Officials said the couple's separate pages were merged into one as part of regular content updates.
Due to a “technical glitch” it took some time for the system to be updated to incorporate the new joint profile.
