MEGHAN Markle is set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham with the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
The Duchess of Sussex unveiled her brand earlier this month with a video of her cooking and arranging flowers in her home.
Meghan Markle launched her business American Riviera Orchard earlier this monthCredit: AP
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Experts have their doubts that the business will succeed and one insider said that would be the ‘ultimate revenge’ for Victoria BeckhamCredit: Getty
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The lifestyle brand is expected to sell homewareCredit: Instagram / Internet
But experts have warned that the business could flop – and according to one brand expert this would be the ultimate revenge for Victoria Beckham.
The Duke of Sussex allegedly called David to accuse him and his wife Victoria of leaking stories, leaving the Beckham’s ‘furious.’
And according to Denise Palmer-Davies, Brand expert and Director at Borne Media, Meg’s business backfiring would be the ‘ultimate revenge’ for Victoria.
Denise explains that the market is a tough one to crack.
“While this could potentially be a lucrative business long term, she should be under no illusion that she will get success overnight,” she says.
“Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow have spent years and years building their businesses and perfecting their brands.
“It is a difficult market to crack – even Victoria has had her obstacles – as it is so saturated.
“Meghan will need a very good marketing and financial team behind her to make this work and ultimately she needs to put in the graft. These days a business can’t survive on a name alone.
“I do wonder what Victoria might think of Meghan essentially tapping into her market. She might think there is enough room for them all and welcome the competition.
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“But given their fall out, the sceptic in me wonders if she’d be secretly pleased if it did backfire. That would be the ultimate revenge wouldn’t it?”
According to a report from Page Six, Meghan’s company will focus on home, garden, food, and general lifestyle content.
The brand will reportedly sell a variety of home goods, such as cookbooks, foods, and kitchenware.
The source said: “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.”
A trademark application for ‘American Riviera Orchard’ showed Meghan is planning to sell cutlery, decanters, legume-based spreads and even napkin rings.
While many have been skeptical about the business, not everyone is so concerned.
INSIDE THE BECKHAM-SUSSEX FEUD
Prince Harry and David have enjoyed a close friendship over the years, but cracks have formed in the last few years.
The Duke of Sussex allegedly called David to accuse him and his wife Victoria of leaking stories, leaving David ‘furious.’
David was also “snubbed” by Harry after flying for 22 hours from London to Sydney at the royal’s request, for the 2018 Invictus Games.
Cracks first started emerging in the pair’s friendship last spring when the former footballer invited Prince William and Kate to his son Brooklyn’s wedding – and not Harry and Meghan.
At the time, a source said: “David’s attachment and history go back with William and Kate and they have a very strong relationship and they were their choice of wedding guests. It was always about them, it was never about Meghan and Harry.
“They are the people David and Victoria are attached to and it’s always been about them because they’ve had a long history together.”
And perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that after the apparent snub, Meghan, 42, seemingly stopped wearing Victoria’s designs – while Kate wore them more frequently.
She wore one of the designer’s dresses to an engagement in January and was spotted donning a pair of VB glasses at Wimbledon over the summer.
She even reintroduced a Victoria Beckham bag to her wardrobe – taking the white Quincy tote out on a royal visit in May, the first time she had been seen with it since 2016.
Since the Beckhams have appeared to further distance themselves from the Sussexes, a royal expert has claimed the move has strengthened David’s friendship with Prince William and the King.
Sarah Hewson, royal editor of Talk TV, said: “Perhaps by distancing himself from Harry and Meghan, it has helped David cement his relationships with William and the King. After all, he is due to meet with Charles for dinner soon. I think David has made it very clear whose side he is on.
“David is a self proclaimed royalist.
“He queued for 12 hours to see the Queen lying in State and he has worked with the royals on several charitable campaigns.”
Royal expert Jennie Bond says she thinks that American Riviera Orchard is a step in the right direction for The Duchess of Sussex.
She explains: “I think this is precisely what Meghan should be doing.
“She has a good track record in this field. Her blog The Tig was a commercial success long before she had the added cache of a royal title, so I think she deserves to be taken seriously.
“She is a clever woman and, as long as she is in charge, I think she has a good business head on her.
“It is, however, a very crowded field so she will have to come up with some innovative ideas and quality products to take on the competition.
“So far her Instagram account has attracted around half a million followers — which is surprisingly few – Trinny Woodall, for example has 1.3m – but she hasn’t really posted anything yet beyond a glossy trailer.
“I think she stands every chance of success in this. Thanks to marrying Harry, she now has a global platform which could prove extremely lucrative and help maintain the LA celebrity lifestyle that she and her husband seem to want.”
Sussexes respond to Kate’s diagnosis
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have wished Princess Kate “health and healing” after her shock cancer diagnosis.
But an insider claimed the couple “had no idea” Kate, 42, was undergoing treatment for cancer until she shared a brave video message on Friday evening.
Kate said the diagnosis had come as a “huge shock” – but vowed: “I am well and getting stronger every day”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a short statement following the announcement.
The pair said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
It is understood the couple reached out to Kate and William after news broke of the mum-of-three’s diagnosis.
Kate informed the world about her shock diagnosis in a poignant video released at 6pm on Friday.
A source claims Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, did not find out about Kate’s diagnosis until this time.
The insider told the New York Post: “They had no idea, and only learned of the news around the same time the rest of the world found out.”
On Friday, sitting in front of a field of daffodils, the princess shared she had cancer.
The 42-year-old said she had waited to break the news at a time best for her children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
