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Meghan Markle has appeared to have hidden a subtle message in her new website branding - with the launch clashing with an event attended by Princes William and Harry.
Her new project American Riviera Orchard has been billed as "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex" on Instagram, with the account also having "Established 2024" and a link to the website in the bio. Both the Instagram page and the website feature a gold-coloured crest with ornate calligraphy.
The symbol appears to contain the letters A and R - which could refer to American Riviera. The logo also contains the word Montecito in reference to the California area where Meghan, her husband Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, live.
The name of Meghan’s new business also pays tribute to the area of California in which she and Harry live as Montecito is also called the American Riviera. The brand’s logo features a design similar to Meghan’s calligraphy side hustle, doing work for weddings before meeting Harry.
The website launch came as William arrived at the Diana Legacy Award in early yesterday evening and handed prizes to a group of winners, before leaving at around 8.15pm ahead of his brother Prince Harry’s separate online appearance.
But just moments before he arrived at the event, not only did launch her new lifestyle brand with an online video, a short time after, while William was still speaking at the legacy event, the Sussexes revealed the winner of their $100,000 NAACP Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award.
The timing of the two announcements has been questioned by royal experts, with royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam saying "the Sussexes in my opinion do nothing by accident".
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While many of us experiment with editing photos from time to time, when you’re in the public eye a bit of photoshopping can get tongues wagging for all the wrong reasons.
The Princess of Wales was forced to apologise after making changes to a photo of her with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on Mother’s Day. But she’s not the first royal to be caught out for editing family photos - the Spanish royal family sparked debate in 2005 when mistakes were spotted in a photo of the King and Queen.
The Spanish royal palace was forced to admit that a Christmas card photo of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia with their grandchildren had been digitally put together. The image showed the couple sitting on a red sofa with Queen Sofia holding newborn Princess Leonor.
Sitting in front of the King and Wueen are Felipe, Victoria Eugenia, Miguel, Juan holding his sister Irene, and Pablo. But Juan Carlos’ right leg had been edited out of the photograph. At the time a spokesperson explained: "It is not a photograph of an official event - it is merely a compilation used as a Christmas greeting."
Meghan Markle has made a surprise Instagram comeback to reveal of her glossy new brand, American Riviera Orchard.
The Duchess of Sussex made the announcement on the company’s new social media account, exactly four years to the day since she and Prince Harry took their "freedom flight" to the US, leaving life as working royals behind.
The new social media account already boasts over 300,000 followers, but this isn’t Meghan’s first rodeo when it comes to Instagram stardom. Here we look back at the former actress’ complex relationship with the platform - where she first met Prince Harry...
Meghan Markle has taken the next step in her career and launched her brand new business American Riviera Orchard.
Meghan’s new project has been dubbed The Tig 2.0, after the Duchess’ now-defunct lifestyle blog. Meghan ran the blog for years before she met her husband Prince Harry and posted recipes, travel tips and personal anecdotes.
She shut down the site in 2017 - just months before her engagement to Harry was announced. Click here to look back at some of Meghan’s most candid posts on The Tig...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stole the spotlight from Prince William just minutes before he was due to speak at the Diana Legacy Awards.
The Prince of Wales gave an emotional speech at the ceremony, which was set up in honour of Princess Diana. He paid a moving tribute to his late mother and said the 20 winners of awards reflected "my mother’s belief that young people can change the world".
However, William was overshadowed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they made two huge announcements. Firstly, Meghan launched her brand new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard just moments before William arrived at the awards, which were held at the Science Museum in London.
Following Meghan’s announcement, the couple announced the winner of their $100,000 (£78,500) NAACP – Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam slammed the couple’s timing and said it wasn’t an accident that it coincided with the Diana Legacy Awards.
"It’s no accident. For years they’ve been unpredictable but they have been predictable in one sense, and that is the unerring timing when they believe it’s beneficial to get information out," he told the Daily Mail.
Read more here.
Meghan Markle has returned to social media with the launch of her new lifestyle brand ’American Riviera Orchard’.
The new project has been billed as "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex" on Instagram, with the account also having "Established 2024" and a link to the website in the bio. Both the Instagram page and the website feature a gold-coloured crest with ornate calligraphy.
The symbol appears to contain the letters A and R - which could refer to American Riviera. The logo also contains the word Montecito in reference to the California area where Meghan, her husband Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, live.
The name of Meghan’s new business also pays tribute to the area of California in which she and Harry live as Montecito is also called the American Riviera. The brand’s logo features a design similar to Meghan’s calligraphy side hustle, doing work for weddings before meeting Harry.
Read more here.
Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on Meghan Markle’s new business venture amid claims it breaches the deal she made with the late Queen.
The Duchess of Sussex’s American Riviera Orchard - thought to be The Tig 2.0, her defunct lifestyle blog - went live with a promotional video last night. The mum-of-two and former Hollywood actress was seen baking in her kitchen and tending to her dog at her sprawling Montecito mansion.
Meghan and Prince Harry thrashed out a deal with the late Queen Elizabeth prior to their departure from the Firm in March 2020 as they bid to become financially independent. This saw them agree to never use their royal titles for profit - but American Riviera Orchard notifies subscribers about "products".
In a post on X, the Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers said: "If you sign up for info on Meghan Markle’s new business venture, you’ll be notified about ’products’. Clear breach of the agreement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to not profit off their royal titles, is it not?Watch this space." A spokesperson for the Palace said they did not wish to comment on the matter.
Read more here.
The Princess of Wales may never release another photo after the Mother’s Day snap scandal, according to a royal expert.
Kate publicly took the blame for a manipulated family photograph released by Kensington Palace for Mother’s Day and issued a personal apology for the ’confusion’. The photograph of Kate and her children, taken by the Prince of Wales, was the first to be issued since the princess’s abdominal surgery .
But it was withdrawn with a ’Kill’ notice by international picture agencies hours later, and the UK’s PA news agency on Monday, because of suspicions it had been manipulated.
Russell Myers, Daily Mirror Royal Editor told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat: "They put the picture out and I suppose they will have to have a review of this process. What I think is going to be the biggest shame of all, is Kate may never put a picture out again.
"And we’ve had years of her putting out pictures of the children on their birthday, Louis’ first day at school, their Christmas card. If she doesn’t do that, that’s such a massive shame for her."
Read the full story here.
Meghan Markle announcing her new lifestyle brand moments before Prince William arrived at the Diana Awards was ’no accident’, according to a royal expert.
The Prince of Wales arrived in the early evening yesterday and handed prizes to a group of winners, before leaving at around 8.15pm ahead of his brother Prince Harry’s online appearance.
But just moments before he arrived at the event, Harry’s wife Meghan launched her new lifestyle brand with an online video.
A short time after, while William was still speaking at the legacy event, the Sussexes revealed the winner of their $100,000 NAACP – Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award.
The timing of the two announcements has been questioned by royal experts, with one telling MailOnline "the Sussexes in my opinion do nothing by accident".
As William left the event, Harry gave a talk via video-link from Montecito, where he told the young winners: "I’m sorry I am not there. I wish I could be there with you guys."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam told MailOnline: "The Sussexes in my opinion do nothing by accident and timing is often absolutely pivotal.
"We found that out one way over the weekend and we’ve now just been reminded that there may be more shots in their locker than some of us thought. And it’s no accident.
"For years they’ve been unpredictable but they have been predictable in one sense, and that is the unerring timing when they believe it’s beneficial to get information out. They don’t do anything by accident."
Prince Harry appeared via video link to praise the recipients of the Diana Legacy Awards on Thursday evening.
The Duke of Sussex, still at home in Montecito, spoke to the inspirational group of people after his brother William had given a speech of his own. Harry was met with applause and laughter as he appeared on the room’s big screen and began by asking the group why they do what he does, before gushing over their role in the world.
Harry told the group he thinks the work recipients are doing is "amazing" before saying the world’s future "depends on some of you".
He went on to say they’d been chosen to continue his mother’s legacy. "That’s why you’ve been chosen," he said. "My mum would be incredibly proud of all the work I’ve done. I’m incredibly proud, and thank you for doing everything that you do."
The Prince of Wales has revealed a song that has a special significance for his eldest son - and it may come as a surprise.
Prince William was at the Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum in London tonight, a biennial event tonight celebrating its 25th anniversary.
William honoured the milestone by paying a heartfelt tribute to his mum, who died in 1997.
During a ceremony hosted by Cel Spellman, an actor and presenter, and Diana Chao, a former award winner, the future King presented awards to each of the 20 award recipients who had flown in from around the world.
Each winner had been asked beforehand to choose their own song for the moment at which they walked onto the stage. Prince William picked AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, saying at the end of the night: "that’s George’s song".
Speaking to the winners afterwards before posing for a group picture, William said: "I’m amazed, honestly. The topic you all do. I’m trying to keep up with everything you all do - inventors, everything. It’s incredible. Well done, honestly. I’m so blown away by everything you’re doing. It’s a lot of committment to get where you are." He urged them to "keep going".
The Princess Kate conspiracy only gets richer, with Instagram making a move to help clear things up.
After the royals released a photo of Kate with her kids for Mother’s Day, many people immediately pointed out some blemishes on the picture that certainly wasn’t natural. In fact, it was clear that her daughter’s wrist had been edited and, somewhat, erased. With the photo spreading across the Internet, many began to wonder if it was doctored or just artificial intelligence.
Now, under the post on Instagram, a warning pops up. It reads: "Altered photo/video. The same altered photo was reviewed by independent fact-checkers in another post."
After clicking a link, users are greeted with a more detailed message which explains: “The same altered photo was reviewed in another post by fact-checkers. There may be small differences. Independent fact-checkers say the photo or image has been edited in a way that could mislead people, but not because it was shown out of context.”
The notice comes after the Associated Press ordered a kill notice on the image, also advising that alterations on the photo had occurred. Associated Press (AP) Reuters wrote: “At closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image."
Prince Harry beamed himself virtually into Thursday’s Diana Legacy Awards.
Attending via video link from his Montecito mansion in the USA, the former working royal managed to avoid coming face to face with his brother Prince William. The Prince of Wales attended Thursday night’s event in person at London’s Science Museum.
Dialling in from California, the Duke of Sussex dodged an awkward run-in with his sibling at the ceremony celebrating their late mother, Princess Diana. The prize, launched in 1999 honours young people who work to improve the lives of others.
Harry paid tribute to the Legacy Award winners in the speech, saying his mother would be proud of the work they were doing.
He was met with huge applause as he appeared on the room’s large TV screen and went on to ask the group some questions in an informal chat.
He then went on to tell them: "Thank you, very much, for inspiring so many others and at the same time protecting my mother’s legacy, I really appreciate that. And Tessy, again, well done on this fantastic group of individuals."
Read the full story here
Princes William and Harry will both play a part in a ceremony later paying tribute to their late mother - but their appearances look set to be very separate.
William will attend the Diana Legacy Award ceremony at the Science Museum in London tonight, where he is expected to give a speech to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients. Harry will then join a video call with the winners, according to reports. However, his involvement will only take place after William has left the ceremony. The warring brothers have been embroiled in a bitter feud for several years now and have continued to distance themselves from each other in recent months - so much so that they won’t even appear at the same time during tonight’s awards.
The Diana Award was set up to promote Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. And the seeming arrangement that will see William and Harry make distinctively separate appearances confirms their "continued animosity", according to royal expert Ingrid Seward.
Read more here
The King of The Netherlands made a brutal joke at the British Royal Family during a royal engagement in his country today.
King Willem-Alexander, 56, poked fun at the Princess of Wales Mother’s Day photograph debacle as he spoke to a group of children. Footage shows King Willem, who became monarch in April 2013, talk to a little girl, who is thought to say in Dutch words to the effect of: "I have a photo with your whole family".
To which, the King is alleged to reply: "Really?... At least I didn’t photoshop it," or words to that effect. This is greeted with laughter by the crowd at the event, which appears well-attended by a group of children wearing hats and waving Dutch flags.
The clip has been shared widely on social media today, including X, which was known as Twitter. Many online praised the monarch, himself a father of three, and mocked the British Royal Family. One X user said: King Willem Alexander serves us jokes..." Another posted: "They are really a laughing stock now."
To which, the King is alleged to reply: "Really?... At least I didn’t photoshop it," or words to that effect. This is greeted with laughter by the crowd at the event, which appears well-attended by a group of children wearing hats and waving Dutch flags.
The clip has been shared widely on social media today, including X, which was known as Twitter. Many online praised the monarch, himself a father of three, and mocked the British Royal Family. One X user said: King Willem Alexander serves us jokes..." Another posted: "They are really a laughing stock now."
Read more here
He might have been suited and booted when he attended the royal’s annual Commonwealth service this week.
But when stepping out at a youth charity in West London today, Prince William ditched the formal suit for a much more casual outfit. Gone were the smart tie, structured jacket and suit trousers, replaced by relaxed chinos and an open-necked blue shirt. However, one of his garments appears to have certainly make an impression with some royal fans - his trendy navy button-down cardigan. It appears to have been the first time that the Prince of Wales has worn such an item while on royal duties.
And some fans couldn’t get enough of seeing him in the quirky garment. One took to X and wrote: "William is wearing a cardigan, I repeat: William is wearing a cardigan!!!!!" while another declared: "Prince William in a cardigan is my mood!" followed by several heart-eye emojis. One fan said: "So good to see PrinceWilliam. Absolutely love his new cardigan look" while another pondered: "Are we in Prince William’s new fashion era?
Read the full story here
Meghan Markle has received the seal of approval from Meta following the launch of her new business American Riviera Orchard.
The Duchess of Sussex shared her first upload on her brand-new Instagram account tonight, gaining more than 180,000 followers in a matter of hours. With the former working royals’ insane online growth, Mark Zuckerberg has already taken notice.
She’s just been given a ’verified’ blue tick, which, according to the social media site, means the page is "owned by a notable person, brand or entity". Not only has Meghan’s business been noticed by the media mogul, but it has gained her first A-list follower.
Read the full story here
Prince William was snapped presenting gongs to the 20 winners at the Diana Legacy Awards, including Joel Mordi.
Joel, from Nigeria, is an LGBT+ activist and was praised for organising his nation’s irst mass LGBTQ+ Pride protest in 2019. During this, Joel delivered a speech condemning Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, introduced in 2014.
The Prince of Wales has revealed a song that has a special significance for his eldest son - and it may come as a surprise.
Prince William was at the Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum in London tonight, a biennial event tonight celebrating its 25th anniversary. William honoured the milestone by paying a heartfelt tribute to his mum, who died in 1997.
During a ceremony hosted by Cel Spellman, an actor and presenter, and Diana Chao, a former award winner, the future King presented awards to each of the 20 award recipients who had flown in from around the world.
Each winner had been asked beforehand to choose their own song for the moment at which they walked onto the stage. Prince William picked AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, saying at the end of the night: "that’s George’s song".
The King of The Netherlands made a brutal joke at the British Royal Family during a royal engagement in his country today.
King Willem-Alexander, 56, poked fun at the Princess of Wales Mother’s Day photograph debacle as he spoke to a group of children. Footage shows King Willem, who became monarch in April 2013, talk to a little girl, who is thought to say in Dutch words to the effect of: "I have a photo with your whole family".
To which, the King is alleged to reply: "Really?... At least I didn’t photoshop it," or words to that effect. This is greeted with laughter by the crowd at the event, which appears well-attended by a group of children wearing hats and waving Dutch flags.
King of Netherlands makes cheeky dig at Kate Middleton photoshop scandal as he jokes with public
Meghan Markle’s new business American Riviera Orchard could well be in breach of a strict rule with the Royal Family.
The Duchess of Sussex tonight launched her Tig 2.0 brand on Instagram, and has already gained more than 140,000 followers. With some calling it "disgusting" to launch on the night of Harry and William’s appearance at the Diana Legacy Award ceremony in London, others think the new venture could well cause bigger problems for Meghan.
Mirror associate editor Russell Myers pointed out that Meghan’s business will likely be in breach of a commercial agreement with Harry’s family. He posted on X, formally Twitter, "If you sign up for info on Meghan Markle’s new business venture, you’ll be notified about ’products’. Clear breach of the agreement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to not profit off their royal titles, is it not? Watch this space."
Meghan Markle’s new business American Riviera Orchard could ’breach’ strict deal with Royal Family
Prince William is "missing his wife’s presence at his side," according to a body language expert.
The future king delivered a speech at the Diana Legacy Award - celebrating his mother’s life - at The Science Museum in London this evening. He said the 20 winners of awards reflected “my mother’s belief that young people can change the world”.
While he arrived "projecting a state of good spirits", body language guru Judi James says he showed signs he’s missing Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery she had in January. Her diary remains empty, though an insider claimed this week Kate may be able to return by Easter.
Prince William put on ’bravado’ but body signals show he’s missing Kate and feeling under pressure
Meghan Markle’s social media comeback news is set to "overshadow" her husband Prince Harry and his brother Prince William’s night at the Diana Legacy Awards.
The pair is coming together to celebrate young people who work to improve the lives of others at the glitzy bash in memory of their late mother, Princess Diana. Harry is dialling into tonight’s ceremony via video link from the couple’s Montecito mansion in the USA and William is in attendance in-person at London’s Science Museum.
But a few hours before William arrived to deliver a speech about the event, launched in 1999, Meghan announced her sensational return to Instagram. It’s sparked fury on X, formally Twitter, with some saying the Duchess’ business launch was "ill-timed".
Meghan Markle’s Instagram return branded ’ill-timed’ on day of Diana Awards
Our Royal Editor Russell Myers offers his take on Prince Harry and Prince William’s the strained relationship.
He writes: "There was a time when William and Harry wouldn’t have thought twice about dropping everything to come together to honour their late mother’s legacy.
"Standing shoulder to shoulder to talk about the impact of her work and their shared desire to dedicate themselves to raising up often unheard sections of society was second nature.
"Now it seems they can not only bear to be in the same room as each other, sharing a platform on a night as prestigious as the 25th anniversary of the awards established in her name is even beyond them."
Meghan Markle has finally launched her long anticipated new project American Riviera Orchard.
There has been talk of the Duchess Of Sussex debuting her new lifestyle brand for many months. Now that it has finally arrived, everyone is eager to know just what we can now expect The Duchess Of Sussex to share with her fans now that the platform has been launched. Her new Instagram account - @AmericanRivieraOrchard - has been billed as "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex," with the account also having in the bio "Established 2024," and a link to the website www.americanriviera.com.
The new Instagram features on its story a short video clip of Meghan where she can be seen in a kitchen cooking, arranging flowers, interacting with her dog and then posing in a full glamorous ball gown in a doorway all to the soundtrack of I Wish You Love by Nancy Wilson. Once they have clicked through to the website fans have the option to sign up to a waitlist for updates on what else is to come.
Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle brand explained
Prince William has paid tribute to the “courage, compassion and commitment” of his late mother Princess Diana, as he celebrated the winners of an award in her name.
The Prince of Wales and his estranged brother Prince Harry both took part in a ceremony to honour recipients of the Diana Legacy Award this evening, but scheduled their appearances hours apart from one another.
While William addressed the 20 winners in a speech at the glittering ceremony held at The Science Museum in London, the Duke of Sussex was set to speak on a video call after his brother had left the venue.
Prince William pays tribute to mother Diana but keeps his distance from Harry in ’great shame’
The world’s leading photo agency has relegated Kensington Palace to its blacklist and says it’s no longer a trusted source amid Kate’s Mother’s Day photo row.
In the image the Princess of Wales and her three children appeared to pose together, but it was soon pulled by a number of agencies, including Agence France-Presse, over concerns it may have been manipulated.
The princess apologised, claiming that she had done the editing herself. But AFP’s global news director Phil Chetwynd has confirmed the agency no longer considers the palace a source it can trust.
Mr Chetwynd continued to provide some context, saying that the decision to "kill" the photo share by the Princess of Wales was a rare one usually reserved for propaganda images dished out by global pariahs like North Korea and Iran.
Meghan Markle appears to have launched her long-awaited Instagram-based business with a luxurious new video.
American Riviera Orchard has started posting on Instagram with a video that seemingly shows the Duchess of Sussex at her Montecito home. Alongside the tune, I Wish You Love by Nancy Wilson, Meghan is thought to be seen preparing something in her kitchen.
The brand’s Instagram account already has more than 5,800 followers and its bio reads "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex". The page’s description also states the business was "established" in 2024, with a link to its website, americanriviera.com.
The website invites people to sign up for a waiting list, with little to no details explained when clicking through. After someone signs up, they receive a message that reads: "Yes, I would love you to be the first to know about products, availability, and updates from American Riviera Orchard."
He might have been suited and booted when he attended the royal’s annual Commonwealth service this week.
But when stepping out at a youth charity in West London today, Prince William ditched the formal suit for a much more casual outfit. Gone were the smart tie, structured jacket and suit trousers, replaced by relaxed chinos and an open-necked blue shirt. However, one of his garments appears to have certainly make an impression with some royal fans - his trendy navy button-down cardigan. It appears to have been the first time that the Prince of Wales has worn such an item while on royal duties.
And some fans couldn’t get enough of seeing him in the quirky garment. One took to X and wrote: "William is wearing a cardigan, I repeat: William is wearing a cardigan!!!!!" while another declared: "Prince William in a cardigan is my mood!" followed by several heart-eye emojis. One fan said: "So good to see PrinceWilliam. Absolutely love his new cardigan look" while another pondered: "Are we in Prince William’s new fashion era?
Princes William and Harry will both play a part in a ceremony later paying tribute to their late mother - but their appearances look set to be very separate.
William will attend the Diana Legacy Award ceremony at the Science Museum in London tonight, where he is expected to give a speech to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients. Harry will then join a video call with the winners, according to reports. However, his involvement will only take place after William has left the ceremony. The warring brothers have been embroiled in a bitter feud for several years now and have continued to distance themselves from each other in recent months - so much so that they won’t even appear at the same time during tonight’s awards.
The Diana Award was set up to promote Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. And the seeming arrangement that will see William and Harry make distinctively separate appearances confirms their "continued animosity", according to royal expert Ingrid Seward.
Princess Diana would have forced William and Harry to put feud aside for award in her name - expert