The Duchess of Sussex was unable to fulfil her ambitions within the Royal Family. Now, she seems to be struggling to achieve them outside it as well.
Meghan has failed to find a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for her new cooking and lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard, despite having interviewed several candidates for the position and having began the search five weeks ago.
‘The initial CEO search has not panned out so far,’ a California-based source said.
And her apparent difficulties have led to an intriguing new development: Meghan has begun negotiations with Netflix about the American streaming giant entering into a commercial partnership with American Riviera Orchard.
‘This is something new for Netflix,’ the source said. ‘It would run the lifestyle business with Meghan, developing products as spin-offs from her show. If a partnership is agreed, it’s likely that Netflix would install its own CEO to run operations.’
The model for the potential partnership is said to be the deal that American television stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have with HGTV/Warner Brothers for their Magnolia Network. The husband and wife duo host a home renovation show, Fixer Upper, and sell lifestyle products such as bedding inspired by the programme.
Meghan is said to hope that American Riviera Orchard, which will focus on home, garden, food and lifestyle wares, will be highly lucrative. Netflix has more than 250million paid subscribers around the world.
The Duchess, 42, unveiled the venture last month by posting a glitzy video on Instagram in which she could be seen busying herself in a rustic-looking kitchen, arranging white and pink flowers, and whisking something in a bowl.
She posted the video the day after the Daily Mail contacted her office for comment on her plans, which may have overshadowed an appearance by Harry, via video link, at an event that evening for the Diana Award, an organisation close to his heart.
An insider told the Daily Mail: ‘The brand is meant to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show for Netflix. Meghan will be making and selling products such as jams. At some point there will be a book and a blog.’
Filming on the show began last week at a house in Montecito, the California neighbourhood where Meghan lives with Prince Harry and their two children.
Meghan’s lawyer has applied to trademark the brand in the U.S. for various goods, including cutlery, recipe books, tablecloths, napkins, jams, edible oils, vegetable and dairy-based spreads. The trademark application also appears to extend to a physical shop where items could be sold.
Whoever runs the brand may need to be a strong character. There have been a string of departures from Harry and Meghan’s workforce. The total number of staff the Sussexes have lost since they married in 2018 is said to be at least 17, with eight or more having left since they moved to California.
Megan has sent gifts of her new jam to 50 lucky celebrity friends as she continues her soft launch of her new lifestyle brand- American Riveria Orchard.
Kris Jenner was the latest celebrity to receive the jam-shaped present. The Kardashian reality TV star shared a snap of the pot nestled in a bowl of oranges alongside a handwritten letter, presumably from Meghan who previously worked as a calligrapher.
Unlike some of the Duchesses’ other friends, such as her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, Jenner did not pose in an elaborate photoshoot alongside the item, but simply wrote ‘thank you American Riviera Orchard’ with a yellow love heart emoji.
Adding her own personal touch to the PR hampers, Meghan wrote a note to each of her pals using her calligraphy. The Duchess previously taught the skill between 2004 and 2005 while trying to land an acting job.
Netflix actress Mindy Kaling, 44, who starred in the American Office and The Mindy Show, was one of the first to reveal she had been gifted Meghan’s first product.
Others who made it onto the launch list included parenting campaigner Kelly McKee Zajfen, Meghan’s fellow ‘polo wife’ Delfina Blaquier and fashion designer Tracy Robbins.
There were, however, also noticeable absences from the list. The Duchesses’ former best friend Jessica Mulroney, many of her Suits co-stars and one-time couple friend the Beckhams, seemingly did not make the gift list.
PR gurus told MailOnline that Meghan’s friendship circle had been updated, evolving to be in keeping with her new business venture, hence why the gang include others based in the Californian enclave or women in business.
Culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline: ‘As with all friendships and circles they always change.
‘We can see from whose in and whose out that the old guard of celebrity friends from Meghan’s pre Megxit days seem to have been excluded from this PR campaign and there is a new squad who live in and around the Montecito area and support women in business.’
Meanwhile public relations expert Mark Borkowski said Meghan’s updated circle of friends proves she still has ‘profound influence’ but added she has started to ‘curate’ friends that fit her new ‘narrative’.
The PR wiz said: ‘Meghan’s circle proves she has a profound influence and will continue. The lineup of names surrounding her in this endeavor certainly speaks volumes about her evolving inner circle.
‘Mindy Kaling and Tracee Ellis Ross, it’s evident she’s curating a circle of influencers and creatives, signaling a shift towards a more culturally resonant sphere.
‘As for those left out in the cold, it’s a curious mix of former confidants and acquaintances who perhaps didn’t quite fit the new narrative. It’s a strategic move, undoubtedly showcasing Meghan’s knack for reinvention and remaining in the news cycle.’
Just days after the Duchess of Sussex teased her lifestyle brand by sending numbered pots of her strawberry jam to fifty of her closest influencers, Buckingham Palace’s official store has come up with an advert for its own, thoroughly royal, strawberry preserves.
Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard products will carry a logo that many have noted for its striking similarity to a royal crest, Buckingham Palace’s version includes the official coat of arms.
Buckingham Palace’s jam costs £3.95 a jar while no price has been revealed yet for Meghan’s jam.
But brand experts have pointed to a similarity between American Riviera Orchard’s aesthetic and that of the ultra-exclusive celebrity food brand, Flamingo Estates which sells pots of LeBron James or Julianne Moore honey for £200 a jar.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
