The rumours have been confirmed; The Duchess of Sussex has re-entered the influencer world.
The vintage-style Instagram video, set to Nancy Wilson’s ‘I wish you love’ teases Meghan cooking at home, and arranging white roses and hydrangeas.
It conjures up an image of a Californian “yummy mummy”, splashing her disposable income on luxury candles and organic farm food.
Could this be seen as “rebrand 3.0”?
The Duchess of Sussex has ‘re-entered the influencer world’
Getty
William Morris Endeavor (WME), the duchess’s powerful Hollywood agents, appear to have been busy reinventing “Brand Meghan” as approval ratings tumble on both sides of the Atlantic.
To be fair to Meghan, a lifestyle blog is something she could make a huge success out of.
Before her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, her previous blog “The Tig” was seen as a big triumph, and reportedly made her tens of thousands of dollars a year.
I suspect WME and Meghan are eyeing up some big-brand deals for exclusive luxury products to feature on the new “American Riviera Orchard” website.
The duchess has been careful not to directly capitalise on the word “royal”, an agreement finalised during the 2020 so-called “Sandringham Summit”.
Prince William was appearing at the Diana Legacy Awards
PA
“Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex”, however, subtly links back to her royal past.
The duchess and her team would argue she has a legal right to use that title, and there are no rules against using it.
She also receives no money from the Royal Family, or the British state, and this could be a good way to help pay the spiralling security bills, and an expensive mortgage on the Montecito mansion.
The new Instagram account has gained more than 346,000 followers in less than 24 hours, but the timing of the launch appears to be significant.
The glossy skeletal website (presumably some actual content will be added soon), and the luxury-looking Instagram account launched just an hour before the Prince of Wales arrived at an awards ceremony, honouring the legacy of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Meghan Markle launched her new lifestyle brand:
The Diana Award was set up 25 years ago to embody Princess Diana’s belief that “young people have the power to change the world”.
Prince William told the audience at London’s Science Museum that “everyone has the potential to give something back”.
He said Princess Diana’s legacy “is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work”.
Later, Prince Harry spoke to the winners via video link and said: “Thank you very much for inspiring so many others and at the same time protecting my mother’s legacy, I really appreciate that.”
Both Princes William and Harry regularly attend Diana Award events and appeared on stage together in 2017 for the inaugural Diana Legacy Award.
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Due to their ongoing bitter feud, Prince Harry only appeared via video link once Prince William had left the building – a sign the relationship between the royal brothers is not improving.
If that did not overshadow the event, Meghan’s blog launch perhaps did.
If it was only Prince William attending the Award, I would have put this diary clash down to Kensington Palace and Archewell’s (Harry and Meghan’s office) lack of communication.
But Meghan’s team were likely aware the Diana Legacy Award was taking place last night; her husband was scheduled to appear.
It is up to the public to draw their own conclusions.
