Meghan Markle's 'odd' move as she continues plans for American Riviera Orchard
Meghan Markle has been criticised for her "odd" strategy when it comes to her new lifestyle brand.
The Duchess Of Sussex soft-launched American Riviera Orchard earlier this month, and is now reportedly seeking out a CEO to take control of the business and help her build the brand she dreams of.
Royal expert Richard Eden branded the move as "curious" as he discussed Meghan's plans - and explained why he thinks she has followed the wrong model for her blossoming business. He said: "This is quite curious in many ways. The firm which she has announced on Instagram and is already gaining many followers for, American Riviera Orchard, a lifestyle cookery brand. Loads of trademarks and everything. She's currently interviewing candidates to be the mastermind of her business."
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READ MORE: What is American Riviera Orchard? Meghan Markle's new lifestyle brand explained
Talking on he explained further: "This is quite odd because wouldn't you usually appoint your mastermind, appoint the boss of your firm, decide your strategy, and then launch it? But she seems to be going the other way round, which might suggest that this chief executive might not be the boss as such. They're sort of boss number two. It's going to be interesting to see who is appointed."
The brand is expected to see Meghan not just blogging but also marketing and selling items and produce under the name American Riviera Orchard. A source has told Page Six that home, garden, food and general lifestyle wares will all be on offer to followers of Meghan's new venture.
An industry insider told Page Six Style: “She’s been working on this for over a year and it’s all the things that are close to her heart - all the things she’s passionate about.” Meanwhile, a trademark application obtained by the publication showed that American Riviera Orchard is planned as the brand name for a broad variety of homewares and goods including tableware, cutlery, linen and glasses, as well as edible produce such as jellies, jams and spreads.
The documents also cover the creation and publication of cookbooks - likely to contain some of Meghan's favourite recipes for both food and drink. Meghan famously previously ran her own lifestyle blog - The Tig - and she regularly shared her favourite recipes and cocktails on that page as well as an array of other posts.
She closed down The Tig in 2017 after embarking upon her romance with Prince Harry - but it seems likely her new launch will follow a similar structure, just with an elevated level of style and class. Meghan would often share fashion, flowers, food and more on The Tig, and she even collaborated with glossy magazines such as Grazia to provide guide style articles for their readers - including on how to host the perfect Christmas with everything from dressing the table and decorations, to key dishes and drinks to serve.
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