The Duchess of Sussex, a Los Angeles native, will take a less California-centric approach to her latest lifestyle business.
The “Suits” star, formerly Meghan Markle, announced Tuesday morning that she rebranded her American Riviera Orchard (a nod to Santa Barbara) under a more timeless name: As Ever. “Cat’s out of the bag, I’m shocked we’ve kept this a secret for so long,” Meghan told fans in an Instagram video.
“‘As Ever’ means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always,’” Meghan wrote in the caption. “If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me.”
Meghan announced the rebrand less than a year after teasing the launch of American Riviera Orchard in April 2024. At the time a spokesperson described American Riviera Orchard as a reflection of “everything [Meghan] loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor.” The 43-year-old Duchess, married to Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, explained in her selfie-video that As Ever will be a continuation of just that — without limiting herself to “things that were just manufactured and grown” in Santa Barbara, where she and Harry call home. In 2020, the spouses purchased a sprawling estate in Montecito, an affluent community on Santa Barbara’s south coast that also counts Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt among its high-profile residents.
American Riviera Orchard enjoyed a brief celebrity-focused soft launch ahead of its intended debut last year. A-listers including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling received jars of American Riviera Orchard jam and flaunted them on Instagram. But not everybody felt love for American Riviera Orchard — specifically its name.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August rejected Meghan’s application “because the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive,” Vanity Fair reported last month. Additionally a Montecito resident criticized Meghan’s efforts to make the neighborhood the face of her lifestyle reentry as “a kind of hucksterism.”
“It’s just finding every way she can to monetize something,” the unnamed resident told Vanity Fair.
Meghan, who previously ran lifestyle blog the Tig from 2014 to 2017, explained to followers that she secured the name As Ever in 2022. She also said she is teaming with Netflix to launch her brand. Netflix has thrown its support behind Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions for years. The streaming giant and former royals signed a multiyear deal in 2020 to create a variety of programming including documentaries. Most recently Netflix debuted the Duke and Duchess’ “Polo” docuseries in December. Meghan’s lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan,” will premiere on Netflix in March.
The former “Archetypes” podcast host told fans she is excited to return to her lifestyle roots. “This is what I do,” she said. “I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can.”
“Of course, there will be fruit preserves. I think we’re all clear at this point that jam is my jam,” she continued, expressing more excitement for her As Ever offerings.
Beyond Instagram, Meghan teased her latest venture with a new website featuring a surprise guest. The brand’s page displays a single idyllic photo: Meghan runs through a grassy field with 3-year-old daughter Lilibet in tow.
Meghan and Harry welcomed Lilibet in June 2021. They also share son Archie, who was born in May 2019.
