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Meghan launches new luxury lifestyle brand 'American Riviera Orchard' ahead of new cooking show
14 March 2024, 21:56 | Updated: 15 March 2024, 06:29
Meghan Markle has launched a luxury lifestyle brand set to coincide with the release of her new cooking show.
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The Duchess of Sussex teased the launch with a vintage-style video posted to Instagram on the new 'American Riviera Orchard' account on Thursday.
The new brand has launched ahead of Meghan's new cooking show on Netflix, which is set to show the former actress making the brand's products.
A new book and blog are also understood to be in the works alongside the Duchess' new business venture.
In the video launching the new brand, Meghan can be seen cooking and arranging flowers while Nancy Wilson's 'I Wish You Love' plays in the background.
American Riviera Orchard's brand logo was also unveiled in the clip, depicting a delicate gold script name and adorning crest.
Beneath the logo is the Montecito - the name of an elite celebrity enclave in Santa Barbara, California, where Meghan, husband Prince Harry, and their two children live.
American Riviera Orchard has been in the works for over a year and is said to be very close to Meghan's heart.
While little is still known about the brand, a trademark application for the company was launched at the beginning of February this year.
It covers cutlery, crockery, and other tableware, as well as cookbooks, coffee, jam, and butter.
Four hours after its first post, the account has almost 200,000 followers. It follows no other accounts.
Meghan has not had a publically known Instagram account since she and Prince Harry stepped back as working royals some four years ago.
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It comes as Princes William paid tribute to his mother, saying she taught him that "everyone has the potential to give something back", as he spoke at the Diana Legacy Award Thursday evening.
William attended the event at the Science Museum in London on Thursday night in person, where he gave a speech to mark the charity's 25th anniversary.
He told the audience that he and his wife, the Princess of Wales, have sought to focus on Diana's legacy through their work.
"This evening's Legacy Award is particularly special as it marks the 25th anniversary year of The Diana Award, a charity set up to reflect my mother's belief that young people can change the world," he said.
"I know that she would have been honoured to see a charity in her name doing such inspirational work to uplift young people from all corners of the globe."
He said that his mother taught him that "everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life".
She taught me that everyone has the potential to give something back; that everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life," he said.
"That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years.
"I am so proud to see this belief of my mother's manifested in the amazing young people receiving the Legacy Award tonight."
The Duke of Sussex is also expected to participate in the award ceremony, by speaking to the winners in a video call after his brother has left the building.