It was supposed to be Meghan Markle’s big comeback, heralding a new era for her as a lifestyle guru and domestic goddess after a slew of business flops in 2023. But while it seemed, five months ago, as if the Duchess of Sussex had finally found her road to success with the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, it’s now looking like she’s reached another dead end, and all the fanfare and excited whispers surrounding the venture have since dulled down to a deafening silence. 

According to insiders, the brand’s launch has been delayed by trademark setbacks and bureaucratic red tape that has stopped the duchess from bringing her own range of goods to market, while she’s likewise apparently been held up by a partnership with Netflix that’s prolonging matters further. But that hasn’t stopped speculation that all the delays are simply shrouding the fact that the business has failed before it has even started, and that Meghan is delaying the inevitable: admitting she has another flop on her hands. And that, we’re told, is the duchess’ worst nightmare.

“Meghan’s been putting a really brave face on this and saying any talk of delays are just haters doing their thing,” says an insider close to the 43 year old, who was all smiles last week while accompanying her husband, Prince Harry, on their “quasi-royal tour” in Colombia. “It’s incredibly hurtful and frustrating that people keep trying to tear her down. It’s so obvious to her that they get a kick out of attacking her, regardless of what the facts are, and have simply seized on this narrative about her business failing. She’s having to hold her head high and block out all the noise. It’s got to be pretty draining and demoralising because here she is, aiming to deliver an incredible product, but she feels like anything she does will be used against her. It’s a huge challenge because the detractors are so loud; but if she gives up, she lets them win.”

Anyone with access to the internet in March will remember the buzz that Meghan created, after launching American Riviera Orchard on social media with a stylish teaser video, which saw her whimsically cooking, arranging flowers and floating through her and Harry’s Montecito mansion in a ballgown. At the time, details remained vague – as they still do – but it was reported that Meghan planned to sell textiles, edible products, gardening supplies, tableware, cosmetics and pet supplies. In April, she fuelled global interest further, after sending out an exclusive batch of her homemade jars to 50 of her most influential, high-profile friends, including Mindy Kaling, Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, who duly posted tributes to the jam-making duchess. Then, in June, there was some hint that Meghan was also creating dog biscuits, after close friend Nacho Figueras posted a picture of said canine treats, in a jar that looked very similar to Meghan’s jam jars. But since then, it’s been all quiet on the American Riviera Orchard front, with cynics saying that, like other projects Meghan’s launched in the past, this too has come to nothing. 

Meanwhile, there have reportedly been some bureaucratic delays that have kept her hands tied. Last week, it was revealed that there were a number of “irregularities” in Meghan’s application to trademark her lifestyle business, which needed to be “corrected” before she could officially launch and sell things. According to documents pertaining to the US Patents and Tradesmark Office, issues included incorrect classification of yoga blankets, picnic baskets and recipe books, with fees owed to register the trademark amounting to $11,382. All this, sources have said, is nothing out of the ordinary, and is being handled accordingly – but is a massive factor in holding up the big launch. 

What’s more, insiders have said that Meghan and Harry’s partnership with Netflix is further halting her plans. As Closer has reported, the duchess has been working on a cooking and homemaking show for the streaming giant, which will tie in with her lifestyle brand. But she has no say in when exactly the show will be aired, and – as Netflix normally works on content at least a year before airing – it’s unlikely that her series will premiere before May next year. As the streaming service is handling all commercial dealings of her brand as part of their deal, word is that Meghan simply has to wait until they’re ready to launch the show and business in tandem, and that means biting her tongue as much as possible – even when faced with criticism and rumours that she’s failed yet again. 

A pal claimed, “The death will be a huge blow to the Spencer family. In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane. Of course he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan. But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it.”

Despite everything that has happened, our source says that Kate – who has been undergoing preventative chemotherapy – still cares about Harry, and her recent health woes have only made her sentiments clearer.

“Kate has never been someone that could just turn off her feelings with a switch and going through cancer has only made her more sensitive and caring,” they explain.

“And the fact is, she and Harry shared some wonderful times together, he was very much a brother figure in the true sense of the word. People forget he used to help her when she was having trouble and feeling down, he was always there to cheer her up. Back when she first started dating William it was Harry that went the most out of his way to make her feel welcome in the family and put her at ease. She can’t simply forget all that because of this falling out. Yes, it’s hurtful that things have fallen apart the way but at the same time she doesn’t blame him for taking his wife’s side, because she would expect Williams to do exactly the same thing if the roles were reversed.”

Let’s not forget, there’s a lot riding on Meghan to make a success out of this venture. In 2023, she and Harry made big promises, but didn’t always deliver. Her highly-publicised mentorship programme disappeared without a trace, while her Archetypes podcast was slammed for not delivering as much content as it promised. Harry and Meghan were duly dropped from their $20m Spotify deal, with an executive calling them “f**king grifters”. Meanwhile, despite drawing in huge numbers with their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, they’ve produced little more as part of their $100m deal with Netflix, save for Harry’s low-rated documentary about the Invictus Games and a series he’s currently working on about polo. Therefore, it’s no surprise that all of Meghan’s eggs are in her cookery show basket – but, as our source explains, it’s torturous for her to have to wait until all the red tape is removed to strike. Between patent complications and Netflix’s scheduling issues, she has no choice but to grin and bear it, all the while knowing that people are assuming it’s all a front for another flop.

“Of course, Meghan’s going to be gun-shy about releasing things when people are hellbent on tearing her down,” says our source. “She’s highly aware of the bigger picture, which is that she and Harry have this incredibly expensive lifestyle to maintain. That’s the driving force here – she’s really counting on this venture becoming something on a par with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop or Martha Stewart’s lifestyle brand. But all the setbacks and unexpected costs are really testing her patience.”

For now, it seems as if Meghan is putting on a brave face, and ostensibly showing the world that she’s hardly fussed by all the cynicism and scrutiny. Luckily for her, she’s had her and Harry’s Colombian trip to keep people somewhat distracted; and the Duke’s 40th birthday next month will also no doubt keep Sussex scrutinisers busy. Nevertheless, with those in her camp still insisting we’ll see some American Riviera Orchard products sometime later this year, there’s no doubt that the heat is on Meghan to deliver the goods. Whether she can prove her naysayers wrong in the process remains to be seen.