Meghan Markle Is 'Thinking of Backup' Names for American Riviera Orchard After Trademark Refusal
Meghan Markle is building her new brand, American Riviera Orchard, but the Duchess of Sussex might have to change her business' name before it hits retailers.
“The team are thinking of backups as we speak just in case,” a source told an outlet. “They’ve been put into a bit of a last-minute spin but they’re not too worried because they are aware that Kim [Kardashian] also changed her brand name after launch and it still did amazingly well.”
“It will be a rather costly measure if they have to change the name at this late stage due to all the branding, but it won’t be the end of the world,” the insider added.
The Duchess of Sussex was accused of bullying her staffers while in the U.K., and the rumor continues to haunt her despite Meghan adamantly denying them. OK! previously reported royal reporter Kinsey Schofield alluded to Meghan and Prince Harry struggling to find staffers as they focus on American Riviera Orchard and Archewell.
"I do think that they're going to continue to have a hard time finding people that want to work underneath them. I'm intimidated just thinking about it," Schofield told GB News.
"A source also told Closer magazine that Harry and Meghan are 'pretty tough,'" the commentator added.
Meghan returned to Instagram in March to promote American Riviera Orchard, but the business still isn't available to purchase.
"There are rumors that Netflix has said 'Allow us to manage the retail strategy' if she can't manage to find a CEO or somebody willing to work with her. Netflix sees an opportunity there," Schofield noted.
"They are going to release a cooking show where she's going to be handling lots of different products, and maybe they could create affiliate links," she added. "Maybe they could place some of those items on American Riviera Orchard and use that Netflix series to drive traffic to her website."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
As fans wait to buy the former actress' jam, television host Eamonn Holmes thinks Meghan is "obviously impossible to work with."
"To be an influencer, people have got to want to be like you, and they've actually got to like her. Most people have to be liked or admired — she'll have difficulty on both fronts," Holmes continued.
Aside from her post-royal career, Meghan's public image took a hit when Spotify decided to pull the plug on her podcast, "Archetypes."
"This has been her biggest issue in the last few years, realizing there's been a shift when it comes to their popularity," Schofield continued. "Harry and Meghan believed their own hype when they said on that Netflix series that the reason they were ostracized was because they were much more popular than the British royals."
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
Four years after moving to the U.S., Meghan and Prince Harry's approval rating in the U.K. decreased over time.
"They were more popular than Prince William, more popular than Princess Kate, and their popularity has declined immensely. And now they are desperate to win people over again," Schofield explained.
"Royalists are very much tuned out when it comes to Harry and Meghan, not rooting for their success anymore, because they feel like they have been cruel and toxic towards the Royal Family over the last few years," the podcaster noted.
Sources spoke to Daily Express.