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New details have emerged about Meghan Markle’s major career move.
It was recently revealed that the 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who is married to Prince Harry, was launching a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard.
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An extension of her former lifestyle blog The Tig, American Riviera Orchard was revealed on Instagram on March 15, via a series of posts debuting the logo.
At first, it was reported that American Riviera Orchard would focus on home, garden, food and lifestyle wares, including items such as jams, jellies, tableware and cookbooks.
But according to a trademark application extension reported by The Daily Mail, the brand is set to be much bigger and more ambitious than that.
It’s understood that the brand will also include cosmetics and beauty products, including bath and shower gels, soaps, body creams and bath oils, room fragrances and even pet shampoo and conditioner.
It appears that Meghan is keen on an all-encompassing lifestyle empire, with American Riviera Orchard also selling everything from candles, yoga and meditation mats and gardening tools to jewellery, stationery sets and even bird feeders.
Known for her love of cooking, Meghan is expected to release a series of printed and downloadable cookbooks and recipe books under the brand moniker.
In a video posted to the brand’s Instagram stories, Meghan appeared to be arranging flowers before the footage cut to her cooking in the kitchen.
“She’s been working on this for over a year, and it’s all the things that are close to her heart – all the things she’s passionate about,” a source told Page Six.
The American Riviera Orchard Instagram account has already garnered more than 571,000 followers since its launch.
Meghan’s former blog, The Tig, launched in 2014, before she had met Prince Harry and during her time as an actress on the TV show Suits.
Named after the Italian wine Tignanello, it covered topics including lifestyle, travel, fashion and beauty.
Ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan deactivated all of her personal accounts, along with The Tig.
The lifestyle brand launch comes after last year’s unsuccessful pairing with Spotify, a controversial Netflix documentary and the publication of Harry’s equally controversial memoir, Spare.
It also comes amid the dramatic speculation around the whereabouts of Meghan’s sister-in-law, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and the latter’s bombshell revelation that she was being treated for cancer.
Harry and Meghan issued a brief statement after Catherine posted a video to announce the news.
“We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” the statement read.
The pair reportedly learned the news of Catherine’s cancer along with the rest of the world on Saturday.
Harry has since “reached out privately” to extend his and Meghan’s sympathy to Catherine and William, royal expert Tom Quinn told The Mirror.
“Harry and Meghan have been in contact with William, but their private message was simply one of sympathy and didn’t include any suggestion the brothers should make up and let bygones be bygones or that Harry should fly back to the UK soon,” Quinn said.
“There is just too much ill feeling for that.
“William, who is still hurt by everything Harry has said in the past, has responded but the response is very much engineered by the palace and it’s hardly the kind of warm, informal response you would expect from one brother to another.
“It’s more like the sort of communication you would get between two slightly wary diplomats.”