A royal coincidence?
Meghan Markle seemingly appeared to launch her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, at the same time that Prince William took the stage at the Diana Legacy Awards on Thursday evening.
This apparent overshadowing could be seen as a p.r. blitz, as the “Suits” star, 42, and her husband, Prince Harry, have had beef with the Prince of Wales, 41, for quite some time.
Markle’s new Instagram page and venture popped up in the same time frame that her estranged brother-in-law spoke at the ceremony at the Science Museum in London, where he honored his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry, 39, also made an appearance at the event — via video — but only after his older brother left the podium.
The former actress’ new business comes amid conspiracies surrounding Kate Middleton’s absence in the public eye as she continues to recover from abdominal surgery.
Royal expert Phil Dampier shed some light on this serendipitous twist of fate to the Daily Mail.
“Nothing happens by accident with Harry and Meghan,” he explained.
“Harry probably felt he wasn’t getting the exposure he deserved as William was actually at the event and he wasn’t,” the biographer went on. “As for American Riviera Orchard, I’ve always thought Meghan would end up doing some sort of Gwyneth Paltrow-style lifestyle range and this has clearly been planned for many months.”
“If it means she concentrates on making money and not on attacking the royal family I’m all for it.”
British broadcaster and TalkTV host Piers Morgan also gave his take on Markle’s new trademark, blasting her for her choice of timing.
“Meghan Markle launching her new royal-title-exploiting business flogging garlic spreads on the same day Princess Diana’s memory was being honored just about sums her up. It stinks,” he tweeted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.
American Riviera Orchard will focus on home and cooking, as well as featuring “foods, books, tableware and tablescape goods, table linens, and servingware” items for sale according to the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Coincidentally, the establishment of the Duchess of Sussex’s new brand on March 14 may have an even deeper meaning.
Four years to the day, Harry and Markle had their “freedom flight” and finally departed the royal family for good.
In March 2020, the couple flew from Canada to their new home in Montecito, Calif.
The historic jet ride from the great maple country to the city of lights and movie stars was documented in their 2022 Netflix series, “Harry & Meghan.”
The doc featured a video that the Invictus Games founder recorded while they were on the plane.
“We are on the freedom flight. We are leaving Canada and we are headed to Los Angeles. Shh!” he joked at the time.
“This is the current situation thanks to another amazing friend who we’ve never met but who believes in us and wants to help,” Harry said in the clip, referring to filmmaker Tyler Perry, who allowed the Sussexes to use his home before moving into their own.
Harry and Markle announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping back as senior members of the Firm and moving out of the United Kingdom.
Elsewhere in the couple’s documentary, they discussed their feud with William. The two believed that the prince allegedly conspired against Markle in her Associated Newspapers lawsuit.
“It’s your brother! I’m not going to say anything about your brother but it’s so obvious,” Markle frustratingly said to her husband.
Harry added that the “planting” and “leaking” of stories between his and William’s office led to “heartbreak” and their royal exit.
“That’s why I’m now living in a new country. This is the contract, the symbiotic relationships between the two institutions working the best way they can,” Harry said at the time.
William’s former aide, Jason Knauf, was accused of being the royal staffer who claimed Markle bullied employees and spread stories to the press.
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