Over the next few months, the Duchess of Sussex gave out 50-odd jars of branded jam and delicately packaged bags of dog biscuits to famous friends, including reality star Kris Jenner, actress Mindy Kaling and model Chrissy Teigen – all of whom excitedly posted about joining Meghan’s ‘jam club’ on Instagram. Soon, Netflix had lined up a cooking show in partnership with the Duchess, and those in the know have suggested that a rosé wine may be on the way.
As per Us Weekly, American Riviera Orchard ‘will likely be very much in line with who Meghan is as a person. She loves hosting events, and she’s very thoughtful about how she treats her guests whenever they come over’. Another source speaking to the publication revealed that we can expect Meghan’s upcoming Netflix series, which will be ‘a take on her and the joy of living’, to be in line with American Riviera Orchard’s branding – and include ‘little things she’s learned in terms of being a modern-day hostess’ as well as cameos from famous faces.
Produced by Sony Pictures Television’s ‘The Intellectual Property Corporation’, the as-yet unnamed show will revolve around Meghan’s passions, including cooking, gardening and entertaining, and comes under the couple’s $100 million Netflix deal. Filming has taken place across several locations, from a $5 million house set in eight acres of avocado and lemon trees, to Florabundance, a well-known florist in the coastal town of Carpinteria. ‘It went well, and it is in the can,’ a Hollywood source told the Daily Beast in July, meaning that the project is wrapped and ready to go.
Netflix might be ready to press play on the show, but where exactly is the much-fêted lifestyle brand to which it is linked? Last month, sources close to Meghan revealed to MailOnline that the US Patents and Trademarks Office issued Notices of Irregularities over the American Riviera Orchard’s trademark applications – noting ‘irregularities’ that must be ‘corrected’ before the full-scale launch scheduled for next year. The source confirmed that such requests for clarification are typical and entirely expected due to discrepancies between US and UK classification of goods. They stipulated that any fees regarding the delays (thought to total nearly £9000) have been paid.
Now, according to the same news outlet, Meghan may have run into a multi-billion dollar problem: a protest lodged with the Patent and Trademark Office by a firm owning the trademark ‘Royal Riviera’. The owner of the company, Harry & David, is an American institution founded in 1934, which boasts annual sales of £1.7 billion and 3,300 staff. MailOnline say that the protest has been deemed ‘relevant’ because of a ‘likelihood of confusion’, and has been referred to Marco Wright, the Trademark Office’s Examining Attorney.