Fans of the Duchess of Sussex have long been eager to get a taste of royal elegance from the Californian lifestyle brand, but months have now passed since she announced the project. What is happening?
Meghan Markle has promised a lot of American Riviera Orchard. From humble beginnings – 50-odd jars of jam, delicately-packages of dog biscuits – the lifestyle brand is garnering million-dollar Netflix deals and a list of products long enough to establish complete domestic domination. But, many eager fans are asking, where is it?
The Duchess of Sussex first introduced the world to American Riviera Orchard in March 2024, creating an
Instagram page for the brand with an ARO herald and Montecito label, referencing the Californian suburb she and
Prince Harry made their home after stepping back from royal duties in 2018.
In the months that followed, Meghan began to showcase the kind of products that customers might expect from her new project. A-list members of the Sussexes’ circle were sent hampers of ARO jam, with reality star Kris Jenner, actress Mindy Kaling and model Chrissy Teigen all joining Meghan’s ‘jam club’. Netflix teased a new cooking show hosted by the Duchess to promote the brand, and those in the know suggested a rose wine may soon be on the way.
American Riviera Orchard kicked off with the release of an exclusive set of strawberry jam
Plenty to get excited about. But it appears that American Riviera Orchard has been hit by a series of delays. Insiders have now appeared to state that the brand may not launch fully until (wait for it…) next year.
Sources close to Meghan have revealed to
MailOnline that the US Patents and Trademarks Office has issued Notices of Irregularities over the brand’s trademark applications – noting ‘irregularities’ that must be ‘corrected’ before the full-scale launch scheduled for next year.
The source confirmed that these requests for clarification are typical and entirely expected due to discrepencies between US and UK classification of goods. They stipulated that any fees regarding the delays – thought to total nearly £9000 – have been paid.
According to
Page Six, American Riviera Orchard will offer a vast array of products, each of which Meghan Markle is said to consider ‘close to her heart’. And what, you may ask, does that encompass? Well, according to
MailOnline’s description of a trademark extension document … a lot.
Body creams, body lotions, bath oils, scented oils, edible oils, air fragrance reed diffusers, incense, honey dippers, bird feeders, garden shears, weeding forks, string lights, meditation mats and stationery sets. That’s all in addition to pet shampoo, note cards, letter openers, tote bags, wine bags with handles for carrying or holding wine, non-medicated hand soaps, non-medicated veterinary grooming products, and non-medicated skin care preparations. It seems pharmaceuticals, at least, are not part of the Duchess’ plans.
As Netflix has assumed organisational responsibility for the brand, shouldering executive roles and negotiating distribution deals, no doubt the hiccups will be ironed out with all the bluster and budget the streaming giant can muster.
Meghan Markle recently finished filming her Netflix show, which is yet to receive a release date, but is thought to be a compliment to American Riviera Orchard. Produced by Sony Pictures Television's ‘The Intellectual
Property Corporation’, the as-yet unnamed show will revolve around the Duchess of Sussexes's passions, including cooking, gardening and entertaining, and comes under the couple's $100 million Netflix deal. ‘It went well, and it is in the can,’ a Hollywood source told the
Daily Beast, meaning that the project – which was reportedly filmed at a property two miles from the pair's Montecito mansion in California – is ready to go.
Filming has taken place across several locations, from a $5 million
house set in eight acres of avocado and lemon trees, to Florabundance, a well-known florist in the coastal town of Carpinteria. And it's unsurprising that such starry locations were chosen, given the top team responsible for making Markle's show.
In August 2023, Netflix released
Heart of Invictus, a documentary regarding Prince Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, for which he recently won a controversial ESPY award. It came after their first programme with Netflix,
Meghan & Harry became a viral sensation in 2022 for its intimate insights into the life of the estranged
royals.
And as they work their way through legal problems with the kind of regal grace that American Riviera Orchard is said to embody, it seems 2025 will be an awfully busy year for the Sussexes.
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