Eight months ago, Meghan Markle launched her upcoming lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard with a glitzy video, an Instagram page and a website.
But since then, the 43-year-old has kept fans in suspense with little new information, except for the brand’s suspiciously royal logo and space to sign up for a ‘waitlist’.
Details are very hush-hush, but it seems the Duchess of Sussex is planning on selling fancy things to aspirationally fancy people, after the trademark application revealed plans to flog everything from luxury homeware to prestigious jam.
She previously tried to break into the wellness market while working as an actress with her lifestyle blog The Tig, which documented her travel and food recommendations, alongside guest posts from her celebrity friends.
Inspiration to start The Tig came from Meghan’s avid readership of Gwyneth Paltrow‘s wellness brand Goop, according to royal expert Tina Brown.
Insiders have said Meghan hopes to rival Paltrow’s site, which plies a lucrative trade in New Age wellness luxuries, with goods such as This Smells Like My Vagina scented candles.
Here, MailOnline looks at Meghan Markle’s obsession with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and how it could be the inspiration for her upcoming lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard…
Meghan Markle was obsessed with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop while she was making per previous wellness brand The Tig
Insiders have said Meghan hopes to rival Paltrow’s site, which plies a lucrative trade in New Age wellness luxuries
Details are very hush-hush but it seems the Duchess of Sussex is planning on selling fancy things to aspirationally fancy people, such as prestigious jam
Paltrow’s Goop made waves with signature products such as this bestselling scented candle, which sold out at $58
Before she even started The Tig, Meghan was used to blasting her opinions out on the internet in the form of her blog The Working Actress, which followed her quest to become a Hollywood star.
But after landing the big gig on legal drama Suits, raking in an estimated $50,000 an episode, she scrapped the blog and created a new website – the stylishly designed lifestyle blog The Tig.
It was named after her favourite full-bodied red wine Tignanello, and moments of revelation about life’s meaning were termed ‘Tig moments’.
She ran the blog from 2014, until it was scrapped in 2017 after media scrutiny began to build following her relationship with Prince Harry.
It was branded as her ‘passion project’ and she used it as her personal blog, where she discussed everything from food and travel to fashion, feminism and politics.
An avid foodie, she also posted recipes – as well as make-up and beauty tips, travel advice, and interviews with her celebrity friends, including tennis star Serena Williams and actress Priyanka Chopra.
During the long waits for Meghan to be called to set, she spent the downtime furiously updating The Tig, which she was convinced could emulate the success of Goop, according to royal expert Tina Brown in her 2020 book.
The bestselling author and confidante of Princess Diana wrote about Paltrow’s ‘canny’ creation of a pampering and wellness e-commerce site, with its ‘$550 healing quartz necklaces and $66 yoni eggs for enhanced orgasms’.
Meghan ran The Tig from 2014, until it was closed in 2017 after media scrutiny began to build following her relationship with Prince Harry
Meghan was hoping to emulate the success of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, which is now worth S250 million, with her blog The Tig
According to royal expert Tina Brown: ‘What The Tig lacked was Paltrow’s sly positioning that she was in on the joke of monetising eyeballs’
Meghan focused on her wellness brand The Tig while she was filming Suits (pictured as her character Rachel Zane, with Patrick J Adams as her love interest Mike Ross )
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $14.7million home in upscale Montecito, Santa Barbara, California
Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Brad Falchuk’s massive eco-friendly mansion, also in Montecito
She added: ‘Although it was much mocked by the highbrow press, Goop attracted an adoring following from millennials and big investment and became a $250million business’ – and some of the bizarre items have attracted attention, and revenue.
One of the Suits team told the author: ‘Meghan was always talking about Goop’.
But Tina said there was no comparison between the two, writing, ‘What The Tig lacked was Paltrow’s sly positioning that she was in on the joke of monetising eyeballs.
‘The wink-wink sensationalism of Goop’s This Smells Like My Vagina scented candle would never have found itself onto Meghan’s earnestly tasteful Tig.’
Goop is well known for its risqué posts – which includes lists of Paltrow’s favourite sex toys, and advice on how readers can improve their libido and have more fun in the bedroom.
Paltrow became the poster child for celebrity lifestyle empires, and Meghan was not alone in looking up to her success.
Goop, which sells lifestyle and wellness products, alongside a clothing line and a beauty and skincare range, was founded by Paltrow in 2008.
However, prices are not cheap, with items of clothing selling for hundreds of dollars apiece.
Although Goop appears to have been largely successful in the 15 years since it launched, it has attracted several controversies.
Meghan hoped The Tig (left) would rival Paltrow’s mega-successful, $250 million company Goop (right)
Meghan used The Tig to share her views on subjects like feminism, as well as her passion for philanthropy. She also posted recipes, make-up and beauty tips, and travel advice
The Tig was deactivated in April 2017, just months before she became engaged to her now-husband, Prince Harry
Shortly after the brand was founded, it agreed to pay $145,000 (£112,000) in civil damages after claiming its rose quartz and jade ‘eggs’, made for inserting into the vagina, could have health benefits.
Gynaecologist Dr Jen Gunter, in an open letter to Paltrow that went as viral, suggested that it might cause toxic shock syndrome.
The fine came after a task-force investigation said some of Goop’s health claims were unfounded.
Paltrow also faced criticism when she launched a candle called This Smells Like My Vagina – however, the product sold out fairly quickly.
Among the unusual wellness practices Paltrow has recommended online include her regular trips to the sauna, praising the relaxation and health benefits of the steam room.
Elsewhere, she advised walking barefoot, which Goop discloses, ‘connects with the energy of [planet Earth]. . . [it] is healthy for our souls and bodies’.
It adds: ‘Several people in our community [including Paltrow] swear by earthing — also called grounding – for everything from inflammation and arthritis to insomnia and depression.’
But you must do your earthing outside. Indoors, you’ll be ‘insulated from the Earth’s electric potential’.
In 2017, the website was also slammed by health professionals and doctors for promoting dangerous practices.
Goop debunker Dr Jen Gunter called it ‘a megaphone for pseudo-science’ at the time.
Oprah Winfrey with her friend and wellness superstar Gwyneth Paltrow
Goop is well known for its risqué posts – which includes lists of her favorite sex toys, and advice on how readers can improve their libido and have more fun in the bedroom
‘It’s pushing “therapies” invented [long] before the microscope,’ she added, noting everyone on Goop ‘seems to be selling something’.
Timothy Caulfield, professor of health policy at the University of Alberta, also warned that Paltrow was ‘keeping myths alive, fearmongering and creating confusion.
‘Celebrities play a big role in circulating this dangerous nonsense.’
He said Goop ‘isn’t a passion project for her, it’s just a business’.
While Goop hasn’t commented on the criticisms, it points to a disclaimer below every article that states its intent is to ‘highlight alternative studies and induce conversation’ and that it is ‘not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment’.
Meanwhile, Meghan’s The Tig was focused more on her personal experiences.
She previously wrote on the blog about her experience being biracial, and filling her lunchtimes at school with activities so she ‘wouldn’t have to eat alone’.
The future Duchess would also disclose her goals for the year, which in 2016 included running a marathon, re-learning French, stopping swearing and not biting her nails.
Gwyneth Paltrow arriving at a restaurant with her son, Moses Martin, in August 2023
Meghan Markle attending the 2015 NBC New York Summer Press Day
How similar will American Riviera Orchard be to Goop?
Meghan’s admiration for Goop has caused some royal fans to theorise that the upcoming American Riviera Orchard will follow in Goop’s footsteps.
The rumour mill had been in overdrive since May last year after Meghan and Paltrow were reportedly seen having dinner together in Beverly Hills alongside their husbands.
An insider told US entertainment website Page Six that the brand would focus on ‘things that are close to her heart’ and would be an extension of her former lifestyle blog, The Tig.
But speaking to the Independent last year, Meghan-friendly author Omid Scobie briefly discussed her plans to move back into lifestyle – but he stopped short of comparing the Duchess’s brand to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.
Instead, he said Meghan was focusing on being more ‘accessible’, which may be a nod to some of Goop’s hefty price tags.
The author said: ‘I’m not being deliberately mysterious. My mind always goes to Goop, but when I suggested that to someone with some knowledge they said, “Oh, no, this isn’t going to be about selling products.”‘ So who knows? The next Martha Stewart?’
Dr Ella Bell and Goop CEO and founder Gwyneth Paltrow speak onstage during The MAKERS Conference in Beverly Hills in February 2024
Meghan’s friend and Suits co-star Abigail Spencer was among those who was sent a number of strawberry jams to market the upcoming American Riviera Orchard
It is thought, in comparison to Goop, Meghan’s lifestyle brand will focus more on food and drink. Pictured: Post by American actress and screenwriter Mindy Kaling, who was invited on to the Duchess’s Spotify podcast Archetypes
It is thought in comparison to Goop, Meghan’s lifestyle brand will focus more on food and drink, and may well be more affordable – as Scobie revealed she aims to produce something ‘accessible’ for people.
When it comes to gifts, Goop garnered a reputation for recommending treatments and smoothie blends, such as Sex Dust, where it’s more likely the Duchess’ will focus on ‘gifts that give back’ like sustainable items that prioritise socialising.
The brand hit the headlines in June, after the Duchess sent Prince Harry’s polo friend Nacho Figueras a PR package containing some dog biscuits and a jar of raspberry jam.
In April, she sent a number of jars of strawberry jams – which were part of an initial batch of 50 – to celebrity pals, including media personality Kris Jenner, actress and screenwriter Mindy Kaling and model Chrissy Teigen.
A source with knowledge of the launch said that the plan is to sell Meghan as a beacon of inspiration, aspiration and attainability.
Her style will be sold as affordably elegant, and her image centred on her status as both a family-oriented and ‘regal’ figure.
Customers will be urged to embrace their innate elegance, and to ‘elevate the everyday’. The brand is also set to offer drinkware, serving ware, bar essentials and other products related to hosting and entertaining.
Prince Harry and Meghan on their faux-royal tour of Nigeria on May 1, 2024
Gwyneth Paltrow looking effortlessly chic as she carries items from her brand in September 2024
Chrissy Teigen showing off her jam from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard
Netflix has now turbo-charged the plans for American Riviera Orchard – taking over all executive roles and delivering deals with wholesalers, designers, growers and retailers.
It will take around seven months for the trademark applications to be examined and up to 13 months for them to be registered.
This means that, come May next year, it should be all systems go with the brand and the cookery show Meghan has filmed to accompany it.
Last week, the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden revealed he could have been the reason behind the botched launch of the business.
He contacted Meghan’s office in March to inform them that he had a story about the imminent launch of the brand, but in what appears to have been a desperate bid to stop the Daily Mail from breaking the news, the Duchess immediately launched the brand before it was ready to sell anything.
But the success of the brand seems to have landed squarely on the Duchess’s shoulders.
She and Prince Harry are now often seen attending engagements alone, as they pursue their own passions.
The Duke appears focused on his patronage work with the many charities he is involved in, whereas the Duchess is spending her time on her entrepreneurial business.
There will be a lot riding on the success of American Riviera Orchard, as since the blockbuster events of Megxit (the couples interview with Oprah pictured) interest in the pair has begun to wane
There will be a lot riding on the success of American Riviera Orchard, as since the blockbuster events of Megxit interest in the pair has begun to wane.
Rolling Stone magazine has decreed that the couple have entered their ‘flop era’, after a number of their business projects have seemingly faltered.
Satirical animated TV show South Park made fun of the Sussexes in an episode titled The Worldwide Privacy Tour, in which they were mocked for their constant moaning about press intrusion while sharing some of the most intimate parts of their lives in a Netflix special.
And, last year, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetisation called the couple ‘grifters’ after their $20m partnership with the streaming platform fizzled out after just 12 episodes.
Although Meghan seems to have turned her nose up at Goop over the years, perhaps she would welcome a bit of its success now.