• Meghan Markle's Netflix show dropped on Tuesday, and she is launching a lifestyle brand this spring.
• It might be difficult for Meghan to stand out and seem relatable in the lifestyle industry.
• PR and branding experts said leveraging her royal status may help Meghan find success.

Say hello to the new Meghan Markle — again.

On Tuesday, "With Love, Meghan" dropped on Netflix. In the first episode alone, the Duchess of Sussex explained how to make a bath salt kit, shared a hack for making homemade popcorn in a paper bag, harvested honey from her personal hive, and made candles with the leftover wax.

The lifestyle series presents Meghan as a jack of all trades when it comes to hosting and homemaking, complementing her lifestyle brand, As Ever. The brand's first product line will be available later this spring. On Tuesday, Meghan revealed As Ever's offerings will include spreads, teas, crepe and cookie mixes, and flower petal sprinkles, which she often uses on "With Love, Meghan."

These new ventures won't surprise longtime fans who have followed Meghan since her scrappy blogging days, but it's also no secret that critics are primed to critique these latest moves. Add in the pressure of entering the oversaturated aspirational lifestyle market, and it's clear Meghan has an uphill battle in creating a brand that feels inviting and approachable. After all, few things are less relatable than a duchess telling you your life can be like hers.

Still, if Meghan can stay true to her fans and lean into her life's fairy-tale arc, she might be on her way to starting her best chapter, experts say.

The crowded lifestyle industry

Although she was known for her acting career before she married Prince Harry, Meghan also ran a blog called The Tig from 2014 to 2017, sharing recipes, travel stories, and posts about her favorite restaurants.

Her two new ventures — "With Love, Meghan" and As Ever — allow her to tap back into those interests before her royal detour, though it will have to evolve as she did in the last eight years.

"She was creating some branding, but it was not as cultured. It was not as refined," Stacy Jones, the founder and CEO of Hollywood Branded, told Business Insider of The Tig. "Becoming part of the royal family, she opened up a whole different level of product class."

Although Meghan's passion for lifestyle is well-established, the industry is crowded.

Martha Stewart has long been the it-girl of the lifestyle world, and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba have carved their own place in the industry with Goop and the Honest Company, finding commercial and financial success. Goop was worth $433 million in 2020, and as of March 2025, the Honest Company, which went public in 2021, was valued at about $530 million.

Likewise, influencers such as Meredith Hayden have built massive social media followings with lifestyle content, appealing to viewers as "every women."

Jones said Meghan will "need a strong and unique selling point" to make As Ever resonate. Megan Balyk, the vice president of Jive PR + Digital, told BI she thinks Meghan will struggle if she "cannot find a clear, consistent brand identity."

Consistency has been an issue for Meghan since 2020, said Balyk. Meghan has tried her hand at ventures that didn't pan out, like her animated series "Pearl" or the $20 million Spotify deal to make podcasts with Harry. (People reported on March 3 that Meghan is working on a new podcast with Lemonada Media.)

The ever-evolving nature of Meghan's post-royal life has also bred some public distrust, and she doesn't do herself any favors by seeming to take cues from the royals' "never complain, never explain" mantra when it comes to her middling business dealings.

For instance, Meghan announced in February that she was changing her company's name from American Riviera Orchard, a nickname for her neighborhood of Santa Barbara, to As Ever. She cited her partnership with Netflix, her desire to make items that aren't just localized, and the name's nod to her longtime love of cooking as the reasons for the change.

There's truth there, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The trademark office temporarily denied Meghan's application for American Riviera Orchard in August 2024, saying the name was "primarily geographically descriptive."

That denial was likely a motivating factor in the rebrand, and when that kind of information trickles out to the public from the media or internet sleuths as Meghan tells an edited version of events, her critics — who have no reason to give her the benefit of the doubt — may feel even more vindicated in distrusting her.

Finding her brand

Meghan's ventures have an effortlessly luxurious feel in their branding so far, simultaneously appealing and just slightly out of reach. Their light tones are also starkly different from those of her previous Netflix hit, "Harry & Meghan," which detailed her struggles with royal life. Harry is also largely absent from her new show.

The people watching "With Love, Meghan" will likely differ from those eager to hear about her dramatic life as a royal.

"People like looking at train wrecks and car crashes, and they want to gossip," Jones said. "You're really leaning into a very different type of fan base."

Meghan has to build out a new audience that trusts her, but her existing supporters can help. Young women make up much of her fan base, and Black women have been some of Meghan's strongest supporters as she's risen to fame.

Jones said it could "be a huge missed opportunity" if Meghan doesn't prioritize Black women in her lifestyle ventures.

"Most celebrity lifestyle brands cater to a polished, elite, mostly white audience," she said. "If Meghan embraces this community with real action, As Ever could be powerful. If she doesn't, it may feel like she's lost touch with the very people who saw themselves in her story."

Balyk also said that it might be easier for Meghan to build a brand people trust if she positions Melinda Gates and Oprah Winfrey as her contemporaries rather than Stewart or Paltrow, as her passion for philanthropy has been clear to the public from the earliest days of her fame.

If she can incorporate that focus on giving back into her lifestyle work, Meghan may even be able to get the best of both worlds.

Authentically Meghan

When Meghan made The Tig, she was in the sweet spot of being successful but not too famous.

Now, though, she is among the most famous people in the world, married to a prince, and mother to children who are sixth and seventh in line for the British throne. She also lives in a celebrity-studded neighborhood in California and counts A-list stars among her close friends.

Lifestyle content thrives when consumers relate to the creator, but Meghan's life is so singular that relatability isn't an option for her anymore, no matter how much she wants it to be.

Ironically, Jones told BI that Meghan may be able to make herself more approachable to audiences by reminding them that she isn't like them.

"Everyone can buy in on the princess," she said. "Americans like a fable. They like a happy ending."

Viewers might not be able to see themselves in much of Meghan's life, but they can invest in the American dream she lived, looking to her for guidance on how to make their ordinary lives just a bit more sparkly. The duchess can also use her show to tell that story and sell customers on As Ever.

"She has a literal infomercial for who she is that can be viewed 24/7 and streamed," Jones said. "She can tell the stories about the lifestyle and the brand. She can paint pictures about her jam and how it came to be and all the little steps that actually people are fascinated with."

Meghan's fairy tale shouldn't be hard to sell. She is a beautiful actor who fell in love with a prince and wants to live happily ever by helping people make their lives more aesthetically pleasing. If she can tap into that narrative, Meghan will finally find a niche that feels like home.

• Meghan Markle is launching her new lifestyle brand, As Ever, in the spring of 2025.
• The Duchess of Sussex initially teased the brand as American Riviera Orchard in 2024.
• In partnership with Netflix, As Ever will sell spreads, teas, flower petal sprinkles, and more.

Meghan Markle is swapping out her throne for a seat in the boardroom.

Of course, Meghan never actually sat on a throne despite marrying a prince, and she hasn't been a working royal in over five years.

However, she is starting a new business, a step further away from the royal life Meghan and Prince Harry left behind in 2020. As she announced in February 2025, Meghan is launching her new lifestyle venture, As Ever, in the spring.

The brand has been the source of speculation and curiosity since Meghan first teased it in early 2024, and much about the company still remains a mystery.

Here's everything we know about As Ever so far.

Meghan Markle's next business move

Since stepping back as senior royals in January 2020, Harry and Meghan have tried their hand at several different commercial ventures.

They each released New York Times bestselling books; Meghan's picture book "The Bench" came out in June 2021, while Harry's memoir "Spare" broke sales records when it was released in January 2023.

Harry and Meghan also signed a $20 million deal with Spotify to produce podcasts in 2020. Meghan's show "Archetypes" was a hit when it launched in August 2022, even briefly dethroning Joe Rogan from the No. 1 spot on Spotify's podcast chart. However, the show's success ultimately fizzled out, and the couple ended their relationship with Spotify in 2023.

Harry and Meghan's biggest joint success to date was their relationship with Netflix. In 2020, they signed a deal with the streamer to produce everything from docuseries to scripted content.

In December 2022, Netflix released "Harry & Meghan," a docuseries that detailed Harry and Meghan's love story, step back as senior royals, and new life in California. It was Netflix's most-watched documentary debut at the time of its release and was particularly popular with women over 50.

Meghan seems to be hoping to recreate that success with her new show, "With Love, Meghan," a lifestyle series in which the duchess shares gardening hacks, entertaining tips, recipes, and interactions with some famous friends.

It's Meghan's spin on a Martha Stewart-style series, and it'll shares some DNA with her former blog The Tig, which she ran from 2014 to 2017. (She shut it down shortly before she and Harry got engaged and she left "Suits.")

Due to the California wildfires, Meghan pushed the premiere of "With Love, Meghan" from January 15 to March 4.

First, there was American Riviera Orchard

Meghan first teased As Ever in March 2024, but the brand was called American Riviera Orchard at the time. The name was inspired by Harry and Meghan's neighborhood of Montecito, California, in Santa Barbara, which is often called the American Riviera.

Meghan launched a website and Instagram for the venture, though neither revealed much about the company. In 2024, Meghan also submitted a trademark application for American Riviera Orchard that indicated she planned to sell a wide array of items, such as jams, cookbooks, tableware, and linens.

In April 2024, a handful of Meghan's famous friends, including Chrissy Teigen, shared on their social media that they had received what appeared to be American Riviera Orchard's first product: strawberry jam.

However, Meghan didn't sell the jams to the public in 2024. American Riviera Orchard remained silent for the remainder of the year, and the trademark application for the name was temporarily denied in August 2024 because it was deemed "primarily geographically descriptive."

The new As Ever

Meghan returned to Instagram at the start of 2025, and she used her new platform to release the trailer for "With Love, Meghan" on January 2.

Then, on February 18, she posted a video to share that her brand would now be called As Ever. She said in the video that she wanted to pivot on the name because she didn't want to limit her products to items only made in Santa Barbara, vaguely acknowledging the issues with the original name's trademark.

"In two weeks, my show is coming out, which I'm so excited for, and also my business, which I think there's been a lot of curiosity about," Meghan said in the video. "Last year, I had thought, 'You know what, American Riviera. That sounds like such a great name. It's my neighborhood. It's a nickname for Santa Barbara.' But it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area."

Meghan also said that her partnership with Netflix on the business led her to widen its scope and thus change the name.

"Then, Netflix came on not just as my partner in the show but as my partner in my business, which was huge," she said. "So I thought about it, and I've been waiting for a moment to share a name that I had secured in 2022, and this is the moment. And it's called As Ever."

She said the phrase means "as it's always been," and she liked that it spoke to her longtime love of things like crafting, cooking, gardening, and entertaining.

Meghan added in the video that "of course" As Ever would sell fruit preserves, but she also plans to release products that she "loves" and uses in her own life.

The same day she released the video, As Ever unveiled a new Instagram account and website. The website featured a shot of Meghan and her daughter Lilibet running through what appeared to be Harry and Meghan's lawn of their Montecito home at the time.

As Ever's logo nods to Prince Harry

The As Ever website and Instagram page featured As Ever's logo, a gold palm tree framed by a hummingbird on each side.

Meghan shared in a 2022 interview with The Cut that Harry was drawn to two connected palm trees on their home's property when they first toured it, telling her, "My love, it's us." They bought the house soon after.

The palm in As Ever's logo seems like a sweet nod to their home, and in the photo of Meghan and Lili that was on As Ever's website, they seem to be running past those exact trees.

Harry has also previously shared that hummingbirds are significant to him. Episode two of "Harry & Meghan" features a home video of Harry and their son, Archie, with hummingbirds. As the birds flit around them, Harry tells his son, "We won't get a chance to be this close to hummingbirds ever again," whispering and appearing to be in awe of the creatures as Meghan tells their son, "Papa is a birdwatcher."

Likewise, in the closing scene of "Spare," Harry recounts an experience of a hummingbird getting stuck in his family's home shortly after he returned from Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. The bird flitted over an area he and Meghan referred to as "Lili Land," where Lilibet's playpen was arranged at the time. Harry wrote that he learned from a friend that Spanish explorers called hummingbirds "resurrection birds," or spirits. Because of the timing and the fact that Lili is named in honor of the late queen, the hummingbird's visit meant a lot to Harry.

Given their special place in the prince's heart, the hummingbirds in As Ever's logo are a sweet nod to Harry.

As Ever's products

On Tuesday, As Ever updated its website to reveal its first product line, which it says will be available in the spring of 2025.

The collection includes a raspberry spread, a limited-edition wildflower honey, three types of tea, a crepe mix, a shortbread cookie mix, and flower petal sprinkles. Meghan uses the sprinkles repeatedly in "With Love, Meghan."

The site also includes a note about the company.

"As ever is more than a brand — it's a love language," it says. "Created by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, As ever welcomes you to a collection of products, each inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing with ease. This curated collection has been crafted to elevate your every day and inspire moments of joy."

The company's trademark applications, filed in October 2022 and September 2024, hinted at the other products Meghan may offer.

The applications listed dozens of products, including tableware, cookbooks, gardening tools like hoses and shears, alcoholic beverages, lamps, candles, stationery materials, paper party decorations, household linens, tote bags, and more.

The raspberry spread wasn't surprising in the first drop, since the duchess already gave the product to friends in 2024. Plus, the first photo on As Ever's Instagram account included jam.

There is one hiccup for the duchess regarding As Ever: She may be unable to sell clothing under the brand's umbrella, as designer Mark Kolski owns a New York-based brand called As Ever. Vanity Fair reported that Kolski does not own a trademark for the name, but it might prove difficult for Meghan to sell clothing under the name down the line nonetheless.