We're told that Meghan's syrupy new lifestyle brand will “reflect everything she loves, including family cooking, entertaining and home décor.”
But the oddly named American Riviera Orchard is more aptly described as a ticking time bomb for the royal family.
Despite homey talk about cutlery, recipes and fancy jams, this looks like a blatant cash grab. It's an effort by the former actress to ensure she has a financial safety net in case the Sussexes' income from Netflix and Spotify evaporates.
Meghan has announced her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which will be operated out of the Tuscan-inspired Cream Palazzo in Montecito, California.
As revealed by MailOnline last night, cosmetics, lavender sachets, yoga mats and even dog shampoo are also on Montecito's menu.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have previously insisted that they don't just want privacy in North America. They promised the late Queen that her royal title would not be commercialized.
However, since landing in California in 2021, they have continued to flaunt and exploit their status.
When American Riviera Orchards was launched on Instagram earlier this month, the venture was labeled “by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.”
of course.
Ever since Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor in 2018, the direction was clear.
At the time, there was tremendous public support for the charming, straight-laced Americans who promised to add modernity and spontaneity to the British monarchy.
However, there was nothing strange about the guest list.
Few people were fooled by the sight of guests arriving at the chapel.
Most were Hollywood agents, directors and celebrities, some of whom Meghan barely knew. All were invited to witness her triumph at her induction.
This was a dream that Meghan did not want to give up, and it was the first step towards establishing a joint-stock company, a dream that the royal family should be rightly afraid of.
“Everything Meghan does is carefully curated and forensically planned,” said former commercial agent Gina Nelthorpe-Coun.
There were bumps along the way. To her seeming alarm, the British media reserved the right to criticize her actions from time to time, although not at first.
Surprisingly, Meghan revealed that Prince Harry, then fourth in line to the throne, lived in a two-bedroom cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, commanded an army of servants, and had unlimited wealth. I discovered that I didn't have it. He didn't even own a private jet.
For a while, these seemed to be privations she was prepared to endure.
However, the rules regarding the use of royal titles proved to be inconveniently restrictive.
Duchess Meghan is reviving her lucrative website The Tig, which sold lifestyle choices and promoted luxury fashion brands to her one million followers before her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017. It was only a matter of time.
It looks like her lifestyle brand is back, this time adorned with extravagant bells.
To be sure, Meghan isn't the first royal to take this path.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was met with ridicule when she used her title to make money with business ventures including slimming chips, fancy teas and £50 juicers.
However, Fergie did not introduce the British monarchy through interviews or books. Nor did she seek to establish a rival royal family across the ocean.
I wish the Queen hadn't lived to see her grandson's explosive memoir about the royal family, Spare.
Or watch Harry allow his wife to exploit his relatives and relatives.
The timing of American Riviera Orchard's announcement seemed particularly bad, even before the Princess of Wales' shock cancer diagnosis, as Kate, Duchess Kate, who Meghan has vilified, is suffering from serious health problems.
Makeup, lavender sachets, dog shampoo, and yoga mats are also on Montecito's menu
Duchess Meghan's lifestyle brand is now adorned with a majestic bell
It appears that the project was rushed forward. As revealed by the Mail yesterday, Meghan has yet to appoint a chief executive to run the business.
In your rush to launch your business, have you forgotten the basic foundation for a successful operation: a competent staff?
King William and Prince William are currently facing serious problems. And for some women, their personal impulses and greedy ambitions seem to know no bounds.
“She wanted to rule the world,” Coun Nelthorpe says of their time together, a line King Charles should remember.
Until now he has been too kind.
It's a shame that the King agreed to give royal titles to the Sussex children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
He probably regrets it now that he's launched Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand.
The clue lies in Buckingham Palace's recent decision to drastically reduce the official biography of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan on its website. The next step is to remove their titles.
That would be difficult for Charles. But it is a necessary step to protect the sanctity of Britain's most precious brand, the Royal Family itself, as the King and Duchess Kate recover from their illness and rebuild their institutions.
Tom Bower is the author of Revenge – Meghan, Harry, and the War of the Windsors.Published by Simon and Schuster
