Meghan Markle is kicking the Royal Family while they’re down.
In a manner of speaking, that is.
While her in-laws continue to make the wrong kind of headlines — Prince William trying hard to avoid his brother, Kate Middleton making the most controversial edit in the history of photographs, etc. — Markle has swooped in with some news.
And she’s done in on Instagram.
On Thursday, a new website and Instagram page for what appears to be a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard went live.
The bio for the Instagram page simply reads, “By Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Established 2024.”
The initial Instagram Story features Markle picking flowers and cooking in a kitchen … set to the track “I Wish You Love” by Nancy Wilson.
How intriguing, right?
Neither Markle nor Prince Harry has posted on their personal Instagram pages since March 2020.
Now, meanwhile, we have American Riviera Orchard, whose name seems to be a nod to Santa Barbara, the California town where Meghan resides with her husband and their two kids, four-year-old son Archie and two-year-old daughter Lilibet.
According to Travel & Leisure, Santa Barbara has been known as the “American Riviera” for more than a century due to ” its temperate climate and lush landscapes, as well as its robust food and wine culture.”
The just-revealed company logo also includes Montecito, the name of the neighborhood where the spouses live.
Markle shocked social media users with this bombshell as major questions swirl about her main rival in life, Middleton.
No one seems to have any clue what is going on with the Princess, who underwent abdominal surgery in January… who isn’t expect to resume any Royal Duties until after Easter… and who has barely been seen in public since Christmas.
As conspiracy theories abound, one is left to wonder whether Middleton will be stepping away from the Royal Family forever?
One must also wonder whether this scandal is related to Prince William is having an affair with Rose Hanbury?
The question has to be asked at this point.
Back to Markle, though:
A trademark application, currently awaiting examination, for American Riviera Orchard reveals the brand plans to sell tableware, drinkware including decanters, kitchen linens and edible treats such as jellies, jams, marmalade and spreads.
The trademark application is also seeking approval for cookbooks.
Just last week, Markle said she keeps her “distance” from social media “right now, just for my own well-being” during a panel discussion at the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas.
Back in 2020, at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit in 2020, she said the following:
“For my own self-preservation, I have not been on social media for a very long time.
“I made a personal choice to not have any account, so I don’t know what’s out there, and in many ways, that’s helpful for me.”