Meghan Markle has reportedly made herself the CEO of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard after being unable to find a suitable candidate for the position.
Speaking with the New York Post, an insider confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex was “underwhelmed” by the options available and felt that she had no choice but to appoint herself to the role.
However, a Sussex source has since revealed to Page Six that the rumours about Meghan having a “hard time finding a CEO” were false and that she had been the CEO of the brand since its inception.
While the Duchess quietly launched the Instagram business profile for American Riviera Orchard in March, she has not posted anything since.
What is American Riviera Orchard?
American Riviera Orchard is an extension of Meghan Markle’s old blog The Tig, where she penned articles about lifestyle, travel, wellness, beauty food, and fashion before it was shut down in 2017 after her engagement to Prince Harry.
It is expected that American Riviera Orchard will primarily focus on home, garden, food, and general lifestyle.
Speaking with PEOPLE earlier this year, an insider source revealed that the Duchess thought the name of her new business was “perfect.”
“It feels authentic to her. She can’t wait for the website to launch. This is something she’s been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves.”
Rumours first started swirling that Meghan would be following in the footsteps of Gwenyth Paltrow and her successful wellness brand GOOP in late 2023.
Speaking with Harper’s Bazaar royal editor at large Omid Scobie, a friend of the Duchess revealed at the time that her next venture would be “accessible” and “rooted in her love of details, curating, hosting, life’s simple pleasures, and family.”
“Meghan is busy working on creating something safe and timeless. And something that won’t be accused of riding on the back of anything royal.”
In a cryptic video posted to stories by the new account on March 2024, the camera depicted Meghan arranging a bouquet of white roses before cooking in her sun-filled kitchen while wearing a simple white tank top with Nancy Wilson’s I Wish You Love playing in the background.
The feed was also filled with tiles depicting the logo for the brand.
It is expected American Riviera Orchard will officially launch in 2025 when her upcoming Netflix series centered around “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship” premieres on the streaming service.
What will American Riviera Orchard sell?
According to the trademark application for the new business (which was filed on February 2nd), America Riviera Orchard plans on selling a variety of homewares, cookbooks, and even foods such as jellies, jams, oils, spreads, and preserves to name a few.
Another trademark application filed on February 9th also noted that the Duchess intended to sell cosmetic products, home decor, stationary, linens, small kitchen appliances, yoga equipment, gardening gear, jewelry, furniture, pet accessories, skincare, and more, begging the question – is there anything America Riviera Orchard won’t be selling?
In mid-April, the first product from American Riviera Orchard was officially revealed as some of Meghan’s closest celebrity friends took to their social media to share photos of a limited-edition strawberry jam.
Two months later, a longtime friend of the royal family Nacho Figueras shared an image of a raspberry jam from the brand, his jar reading ‘2 of 2.’
The polo player also shared an image of dog biscuits, pictured in front of his darling dog Iggy.
