Paul Burrell – who worked for years as Princess Diana’s butler – has shared his thoughts on Meghan’s lifestyle ambitions, and why he thinks she will struggle to make her mark
Five years since she stepped down from royal life, Meghan Markle is working hard to establish herself as a lifestyle influencer.
Along with her recently-renamed As Ever brand – which will include products ranging from pet food to home decor and cookbooks – she is preparing for the launch of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan which will see the Duchess invite “friends and famous guests to a beautiful California estate, where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips”.
But Harry’s wife will struggle to compete in the highly-competitive lifestyle arena, according to former royal butler Paul Burrell, who has shared his thoughts on Meghan’s new ventures.
Paul – who worked for Princess Diana from 1987 until her death in 1997 – told Prime Casino: “It’s the Meghan Show. And this is a tough area to compete in, in America, because America is filled with the best hosts you can possibly have. Whether she’s good enough or not, the public will judge her. We’re waiting to see what she’s got and whether she can pull it out of the bag.
“People may warm to her,” he continued. “However, the royals are on a safe ship in calm waters, whereas Harry and Meghan have been in choppy seas for quite some time and you can’t actually continue that. You can’t. Something has to give. I’m eager to watch it and to see what she’s going to produce. I’m not so sure I want to buy her jam, but I think it’s going to be interesting to watch. Meghan will have to reveal her hand in this game of poker because Harry’s already revealed his. We haven’t yet seen Meghan’s.”
Paul added: “This Netflix show, which will be aired now in March, I think will go ahead. I think she’ll be judged by that, but let’s not forget, she’s an actress. She can act this role, but she can fall back on those acting skills. I doubt very much whether she’ll become a new Martha Stewart because she doesn’t have the lifestyle skills unless there’s somebody behind her, feeding her the lines as an actress would expect.”
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It comes just days after Meghan announced she was renaming her lifestyle brand, changing from ‘American Riviera Orchard’ to ‘As Ever’. But within hours of the huge unveiling, the Duchess of Sussex started to face a backlash.
The mayor of a town on the Spanish island of Mallorca claimed Meghan had ‘copied’ its coat of arms when revealing her name logo that shows a palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds. It is understood that the duchess’ logo is inspired by her home in California, and is a nod to her husband Harry.
It emerged the brand shares its name with a New York-based clothing brand, and that Meghan has reportedly been banned from marketing clothing under the ‘As Ever’ label due to its resemblance to a budget-friendly Chinese fashion retailer.
Fans also accused Meghan of having a sly dig at the Royal Family in her Instagram announcement video, in which she claimed she hadn’t been able to share the cooking, gardening and crafting tips that she loves for several years.
But former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror that the negativity against Meghan had been unfair – and her video actually portrayed simple statements of fact. She said: “Lots of new ventures hit teething problems and Meghan’s was no exception. She obviously should have been advised to research the copyright of her chosen brand name, but we all make mistakes. She has now tried to put the best spin on these early setbacks.
“I don’t think she was making a dig at the Royals by saying she hadn’t been able to share her cooking and gardening tips for the past few years. It is simply a statement of fact. She didn’t sound bitter or resentful about it. She sounded delighted that she is now free to resume what she has already proved to herself to be extremely good at: selling lifestyle ideas and suggestions.”
