As she finally launches her long-anticipated lifestyle series on Netflix this week, all eyes are on the Duchess of Sussex.
In what could prove to be a make-or-break moment for her and the Duke’s future plans, the eight-part programme celebrating "the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining and friendship" starts streaming after weeks of delay.
Originally due to air on 15 January, the show – titled With Love, Meghan – was postponed so the couple could "focus on the needs of those affected by the wildfires" in her home state of California.
But in the intervening weeks, they have faced a catalogue of complications.
Last month, nearly a year after she sent out jars of homemade jam wrapped in an American Riviera Orchard logo for celebrity friends to share on social media, Meghan announced she had renamed her business As Ever, a name she registered in 2022.
She also unveiled a new website showing her and daughter Lilibet, three, in the lush gardens of their Montecito home.
© As EverAmerican Riviera Orchard, inspired by the local name for the Santa Barbara coastline, had been rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office because businesses cannot trademark geographical locations.
"Changing the brand name is just one of the many lessons that come with being a founder," a sympathetic source tells HELLO!
But others believe the intrigue is all part of Meghan's masterplan. "This isn't an identity crisis, it's a business model," PR and crisis advisor Mark Borkowski tells us.
"The perpetual reinvention, the strategic vagueness – it’s all by design. The more unpredictable she is, the harder it is to take her down. She’s not trying to be Goop; she’s trying to be a mystery. The product she’s selling? Endless curiosity about Meghan Markle.
"Maybe she’s not losing control of her narrative – maybe we are."
Following her heart
The Duchess said she had changed her brand’s name because the original label "limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area".
She added: "As Ever essentially means 'as it's always been', and if you've followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I've always loved cooking and crafting and gardening.
"This is what I do, and I haven't been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can."
© InstagramHer current trademark application, which is still pending approval, covers everything from table and kitchenware and gardening tools to jams, jellies and marmalades, cookie, pancake and cocktail mixes and even pet shampoo.
A source has clarified that As Ever "will not be selling clothes or offering photographic services", as other firms doing so in China and the US are already using the same brand name.
Meanwhile, the brand's distinctive new logo, featuring two hummingbirds on either side of a palm tree, drew criticism from an unexpected quarter – the Majorcan town of Porreres, which has a 14th-century coat of arms featuring a strikingly similar design.
© As Ever"It is important to our identity, and people are upset that it is being used to sell products like jam," says the town’s mayor, Xisca Mora.
HELLO! understands that comprehensive global searches of registered trademarks were conducted before Meghan's logo was unveiled.
Its palm tree is thought to represent those found in her Montecito garden, while the hummingbird is a favourite of Prince Harry’s.
Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that the run-up to this week's Netflix launch has been something of a rollercoaster for the Sussexes.
© NetflixIn January, they were the subject of a bruising profile in Vanity Fair, while only last week, Hollywood talent agency WME had to issue a statement confirming that it still represented Meghan, amid reports that it had dropped her.
Elsewhere, the Duke is potentially under pressure after a judge ruled that three of his immigration documents will be made public following a legal challenge to the US Department of Homeland Security by controversial right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation.
Undaunted, Harry last week appeared to take aim at the Trump administration in a speech at a tech summit in Los Angeles.
"This would be a great time to talk about how a sickness in leadership across sectors, from politics to tech, can have a detrimental effect on millions, if not billions, of people – when service to others is sacrificed for personal gain, when basic morals and empathy are abandoned in favour of power and control," he said.
He also told the Upfront Summit that he has spent the past five years "sometimes publicly, but primarily quietly, investing in companies that align with my values and vision of a better tomorrow – companies that understand the power and significance of service".
© PA Images via Getty ImagesThose investments may prove handy in the coming months, when the Duke and Duchess’s five-year, multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix comes up for renewal.
The couple, whose Harry & Meghan docuseries broke the streamer’s record for the greatest number of viewing hours for a documentary in its first week, have not yet managed to repeat its success with other shows.
Much, it seems, will depend on the success, or otherwise, of With Love, Meghan. "If this show doesn’t land, expect a polite but decisive distancing [from Netflix]," Mark Borkowski says.
Adding to the pressure is Harry's next High Court battle back in the UK, as he prepares to appeal against a Home Office decision to downgrade his security early next month.
But if the Sussexes are feeling the strain, it doesn't show.
© InstagramOver on Instagram, the Duchess has happily been sharing footage of the first spring blossoms on the trees at their home, a glimpse of one of her children's small hands helping to water the garden and her own hand squeezing a freshly picked orange into a sparkling drink.
In another clip that sparked intrigue, she is seen wearing a distinctive purple Northwestern sweatshirt, identical to one worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996.
Prince Harry’s mother was given the sweater after visiting the university – Meghan's alma mater – to raise money for its cancer centre.
Fresh start
The Duchess is said to be "thrilled" to be launching her show and new brand name, while the Duke is apparently happy to see his wife returning to what she did when they first met – creating and sharing content to inspire her followers.
"He's thrilled to see her embracing this again," someone who knows the couple tells HELLO! "It's something he admired about her from the beginning. For her, it's a return to something that’s always brought her joy."
© NetflixBut as Meghan’s new venture finally takes off, there is one more power move that the couple could make to boost their image.
"Start rebuilding a relationship – however distant – with the royal family," Mark says. "A controlled, strategic detente would be the ultimate brand reset. Nothing fuels intrigue like a reconciliation arc."
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