Meghan Markle was “desperate” to reveal her new brand’s name to replace American Riviera Orchard, a royal expert has said.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams suggested Meghan could have felt rushed to share the new brand name As Ever so that it could coincide with the launch of new Netflix series next month.
Meghan, 43, is gearing up for her eight-part series, With Love, Meghan to air on Netflix on March 4 – around the same date that As Ever is expected to launch.
Although Meghan didn’t specifically state that As Ever will launch on March 4, she did state that both would launch in two weeks time.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “Meghan’s premature launch of American Riviera Orchard last year led to trademark issues holding it up. Its name is now As Ever.
“She must have been desperate to coordinate its launch with her eight-part series With Love, Meghan, which has been postponed until 4th March on Netflix.”
Speaking about the series’ trailer, he added: “The online response to the trailer for that was overwhelmingly hostile and there have reportedly been changes to the content.”
Meghan previously shared that her lifestyle brand would be called American Riviera Orchard. However, in Meghan’s latest Instagram video, she shared that she felt that this would limit her brand and its products.
Speaking directly to the camera, she said: “Last year, I thought you know what, American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name, it’s my neighbourhood [and] its a name for Santa Barbara. But it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area.”
As well as the Instagram video, the official website for As Ever is also up-and-running – allowing fans to add their email address to gain access following the official launch. The website also features a sweet new picture of three-year-old Princess Lilibet. The young royal is seen running alongside her mum across a grassy field.
