C. FresnedaLondon Correspondent

London Correspondent

Updated Friday, March 15, 2024-10:45

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Meghan Markle

has returned in a big way on Instagram to

launch her own luxury brand,

American Riviera Orchard, in the midst

of the British royal family's crisis.

The chosen moment has once again been harshly

criticized

, just a month after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

relaunched their own

internet portal based on their titles and a few days after King Charles'

diagnosis

of unspecified cancer was made public.


Meghan wanted to return to the foreground with her own

Californian "lifestyle" brand,

in the vein of

Gwyneth Paltrow

or

Martha Stewart

and selling personal and home accessories: from textile products to yoga mats, cookbooks to luxurious treats for pets.

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  • Editorial: AFP Los Angeles

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An image of Meghan herself,

surrounded by floral arrangements

in her Montecito home, serves as a

promotion

for the launch of American Riviera Orchard.

Within a few hours, and with just eight posts, the Instagram account had already attracted

more than 200,000 followers.


The launch occurred almost coinciding with Prince Harry's appearance via videoconference at the

Diana Awards

in memory of his mother.

The event was presided over in London by Prince William, with whom

they have not spoken for months

(Harry's intervention occurred precisely when his brother had already left the event).


41% of Britons actually blame Harry for

the divisions in the royal family

that have led to the current crisis, according to an Ipsos poll for

The Evening Standard

.

Harry has gone from being the most popular member of his family at the time of his wedding in 2018 to the

second most unpopular,

surpassed only by his uncle Andrew.


Harry's revelations in his memoirs (

Into the Shadow

) had a

strong impact

on both Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Some royal chroniclers have highlighted how the deterioration in the health of the Princess of Wales, who underwent

abdominal surgery in January,

may also be related to tensions within the royal family as a result of "Megxit."


Despite the

animosity

they arouse in the United Kingdom, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue

to rely on their relative popularity

on the other side of the Atlantic to take economic advantage of their own "brand."


With the launch of American Riviera Orchard, Meghan has returned in some way to her origins with the blog The Tig, where

she wrote about travel, beauty and food,

taking advantage of the popularity of the series

Suits

.

With her new brand, her intention is now

to capitalize on her fame

to promote and sell luxury products.


The shift in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's strategy comes after the uneven success of their media adventures.

Despite the success of Harry's memoirs (

In the Shadow)

and the docuseries on Netflix,

his contract with Spotify expired

in 2023 and the couple has had to look for new sources of income.