Why Meghan Markle was 'desperate' to announce her brand name change

Meghan Markle has officially revealed the new name of her lifestyle brand, but a royal expert suggests the Duchess of Sussex may have felt pressured to unveil it sooner than expected.

Speaking to Express UK, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams speculated that Meghan rushed to rebrand her company as As Ever in order to align with the upcoming launch of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.

"Meghan’s premature launch of American Riviera Orchard last year led to trademark issues holding it up. Its name is now As Ever. She must have been desperate to coordinate its launch with her eight-part series With Love, Meghan, which has been postponed until March 4 on Netflix," Fitzwilliams explained.

Aside from the brand name change, the royal expert pointed out that the Netflix series trailer received an overwhelmingly negative response online, which may have also played a role in Meghan’s decision to push the rebrand forward.

"The online response to the trailer was overwhelmingly hostile, and there have reportedly been changes to the content," Fitzwilliams added.

On Monday, Meghan officially announced the name of her business as As Ever via Instagram. She initially planned to launch her brand as American Riviera Orchard, but later changed course due to branding limitations.

"Last year, I thought, you know what, American Riviera sounds like such a great name—it’s my neighborhood, it’s the name for Santa Barbara. But it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area," Meghan explained.

What is Meghan Markle’s new brand about?

Meghan Markle’s As Ever is expected to be a lifestyle brand offering homeware, food products, and wellness items. It marks her return to the lifestyle space, similar to her former blog The Tig, which she ran before joining the royal family.

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