Meghan Markle faced several hiccups when attempting to be an entrepreneur in California.
In March 2024, the Duchess of Sussex debuted her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, on Instagram. And while celebrity pals like Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling gave sneak peeks of her jams with the brand’s logo online, everything then came to a halt.
Behind the scenes, the 43-year-old was facing trademark issues.
“There are tons of twists and turns – even with the name,” the “Suits” alum told People magazine in a cover story published on Monday.
“I was figuring it out in real time,” she admitted.
“I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that,” said Meghan. “It’s a learning curve.”
Last September, the mother of two suffered a professional setback when the U.S. patent and trademark office refused the application for American Riviera Orchard, The Telegraph reported.
According to the outlet, the office warned that businesses could not trademark geographical locations, noting that American Riviera was a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara, where the former American actress resides. The addition of the word “Orchard” made “little difference.”
The outlet also warned that the descriptions of the duchess’ products could fit into multiple trademark categories.
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At the time, Meghan’s team said the pushback was “routine and expected.” However, her issues didn’t end there.
Food and gift retailer Harry & David filed a protest against American Riviera Orchard in October, the New York Post reported. According to the outlet, they claimed that the name was too similar to their “Royal Riviera” product line.
In November, the outlet reported that the “Suits” alum’s legal team requested a three-month extension in an attempt to secure a trademark. The U.K.’s Independent reported that the duchess attempted to trademark the brand over the summer. However, it was rejected due to issues with how it was filed.
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In February, Meghan announced on Instagram that she was renaming her brand to As Ever.
While her Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” premieres March 4, she hinted that her signature jam will be among the products she’ll be launching via her brand in the spring, People magazine reported. Products will be available on the brand’s official website.
According to the outlet, her new podcast with Lemonada Media is also launching in the spring.
In 2022, Meghan teamed up with Prince Harry to launch their docuseries “Harry & Meghan,” which detailed their struggles with royal life. According to the outlet, there’s “no mention of anything royal” in Meghan’s lifestyle show. Harry himself only makes “a fleeting appearance” in the final episode.
“With Love, Meghan” has eight episodes and will highlight friends and chefs sharing personal stories and recipes.
“Whenever Harry visited [the] set, he was always super polite and friendly,” a crew member told the outlet. “But it was clear that he wanted this to be Meghan’s moment to shine.”
In 2014, Meghan, then an actress starring in the legal drama “Suits,” launched a lifestyle blog called The Tig. She shut it down in 2017 as her relationship with Harry progressed. The couple married in 2018.
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“Well, I loved The Tig, but I certainly love my husband more,” said Meghan on her decision to walk away from her blog. “So that was a choice I made at the time, and I wouldn’t change that for a second.”
Meghan noted that Harry has been supportive of her returning to her influencer roots.
“My husband met me when I had The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me,” she explained.
“It’s almost like a honeymoon period again,” she shared. “Because it’s exactly how it was in the beginning when he’d watched me scribbling away, writing newsletters, fine-tuning edits and just really being in the details of it. I think he loves watching as much as I love doing that creative process. It’s just been fun. This is who I’ve always been.”
Still, Meghan said that despite having over 2 million followers on Instagram, she doesn’t identify as an influencer.
“I see myself as an entrepreneur and a female founder,” she clarified, “and if the brand ends up influential, then that’s great.”
Meghan told the outlet that she and Harry are teaming up in other ways. They’re continuing their work with the Archewell Foundation as Harry focuses on his philanthropic projects.
“I imagine that it’s the same as it would be for any couple,” she said. “You have your individual jobs, but then you have things that you share together. We’ve been such a close team for so long that we’re just in it beat by beat with each other. And I love that.”
“To be able to be a female founder and do that with my husband’s support means everything,” she added.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. They are raising their two young children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito.
