Duchess Meghan also celebrated her Instagram premiere with the launch of her new brand “American Riviera Orchard”. GALA explains what’s behind the name and why the timing of its publication is anything but a coincidence.
It is not known how long Duchess Meghan, 42, worked behind the scenes on her new brand – but on the evening of March 14, 2024, “American Riviera Orchard” celebrated its premiere. The Instagram account simply says: “by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Founded in 2024”, and on the website fans can be added to a waiting list to be informed about the brand’s “products, availability and updates”. So far there is only very selective information about the Duchess’s new product – but the details that have been released so far speak volumes.
Duchess Meghan: That means “American Riviera Orchard”
In contrast to the previously rather short names for her companies and projects – “Archewell Productions”, the podcast “Archetypes”, the documentary “Harry & Meghan” – the Duchess decided on a longer name for her own company. Although it may not seem like it at first glance, “American Riviera Orchad” has a deep personal connection to Meghan. Because: Prince Harry, 39, and she live with their children in Montecito, where they are proud of the nickname “the American Riviera,” as it says on Santa Barbara’s official website. The reason for this is probably the picturesque coastline, as well as the pleasant climate, which is similar to that of the northern Mediterranean coast – the original Riviera.
For her brand “American Riviera Orchard”, Meghan once again resorts to a royal-like look and feel.
© americanriviera.com
However, it is not clear why Duchess Meghan also chose the name “Orchard”. At “Tatler” it is assumed that the 42-year-old wants to build “a lifestyle, cooking and household goods brand”. In the video, which was also published on March 14th in the Instagram story of “American Riviera Orchard”, Meghan can be seen, among other things, baking in her kitchen – as well as walking around her property in Montecito in a black evening dress walks. Sources tell Page Six that the Duchess of Sussex has been working on this project for “over a year”; “It’s about all the things she cares about – all the things she’s passionate about.”
Meghan’s brand launches just minutes before William’s important appearance
On the evening of March 14, Meghan’s husband Harry and her brother-in-law were there Prince William, 41, also busy: While the Prince of Wales gave a speech for the “Diana Legacy Awards” in London, Prince Harry joined the award winners via video after the ceremony. It is one of the few commitments that the brothers continue to commit to together despite their falling out – even if they avoided meeting again that evening. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam told the Daily Mail: “The Sussexes, in my opinion, do nothing by accident and timing is often absolutely crucial.”
While Prince William reflected on the memory of his late mother and gave an emotional speech, the Sussexes not only announced Meghan’s new lifestyle brand, but also the winner of the Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award. Fitzwilliam is convinced: “[Die Sussexes] may have more shots under their belt than some of us thought. […] They have been unpredictable for years, but there is one thing they are predictable in, and that is spot-on timing when they believe it is beneficial to spread information. You don’t do anything by accident.”
“This is everything Queen Elizabeth feared”
The American journalist Maureen Callahan also took a closer look at Duchess Meghan’s “American Riviera Orchard” for the “Daily Mail”. The light cream and beige tones, the artistic calligraphy in gold letters, the emblem with the intertwined initials H and M, all of this disgusts Callahan. As with her new website “sussex.com”, Meghan is also relying on a royal look and feel for her brand. The fact that her royal title – “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex” – is also prominently displayed in the bio on the Instagram account once again underlines her apparent desire to be associated with the British nobility.
As the king retreats from the public eye and the monarchy suffers from Kate’s extended absence, Meghan announces a brand to sell tablecloths, napkins, glasses, decanters and jams
“This was everything the late Queen Elizabeth feared: the Sussexes commodifying royalty, using it to promote copper cookware […], while at the same time capitalizing on their family, which has never been more in crisis than it is now,” says Callahan sharply. And further: “As the king withdraws from the public and the monarchy suffers from Kate’s extended absence, Meghan is announcing a US -Brand to sell tablecloths, napkins, glasses, decanters, jams and jellies. This is embarrassing and borders on self-promotion.”
But it’s not just Meghan’s new company that Callahan is harshly critical of: “The core of every prominent lifestyle brand is arrogance. It’s based on the founder’s self-conviction that almost every other woman wants to be like her.” The journalist condemns the Duchess’s new project as “the most insensitive, tone-deaf and poorly timed brand launch in the world.” Is there more to “American Riviera Orchard” than a superficial attempt to generate commercialism out of her own person? Duchess Meghan will have to prove this in the coming weeks.
Sources used: instagram.com, americanriviera.com, santabarbaraca.com, tatler.com, pagesix.com, dailymail.co.uk