Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series ‘will plug her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle products’ to boost sales
Meghan Markle’s new Netflix cookery show will plug merchandise from her lifestyle company, a new report has claimed.
The long-awaited series titled ‘With Love, Meghan’ was first teased when the Duchess of Sussex unveiled her luxury brand American Riviera Orchard last March.
At the time, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden exclusively revealed that the project was launched to coincide wth the release of Meghan’s cooking show and will ‘tie in with the American Riviera Orchard brand’.
Now, sources with knowledge of Meghan’s ‘mutually beneficial partnership’ with Netflix have reportedly told PageSix that the streamer will help distribute products that tie-in with the eight-part series.
‘The more that Netflix is getting into live events, the more this kind of thing makes sense for their future,’ one Hollywood source told the news outlet.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for the Sussexes and Netflix for comment.
Netflix rolled out an ad-supported subscription tier in November 2022, giving them ‘more opportunity to hve mutually beneficial partnerships like’ its deal with Meghan.
Netflix has previously collaborated with California-based Cupcake Vineyards to launch a limited-edition Chardonnay ‘Love is Wine’ to promote its hit dating series Love is Blind‘.
Meghan Markle’s new Netflix cookery show will plug merchandise from her lifestyle company, a new report has claimed
The long-awaited series titled ‘With Love, Meghan’ was first teased when the Duchess of Sussex unveiled her luxury brand American Riviera Orchard last March
Meghan soft-launched her luxury lifestyle brand by sending 50 jars of jam to her famous friends
The streaming giant has also filed a trademark application for the phrase ‘Love Is Wine’ merchandise, including cake moulds, tea infusers, napkin holders, and wine glasses, according to TMZ.
While Meghan mostly kept a low-profile during 2024, with the Duchess choosing to attend only a handful of public events, she is expected to make a glamorous return to public life in the new year.
PageSix previously reported the launch of American Riviera Orchard has been timed to coincide with the release of her then-untitled Netflix show.
It has now been confirmed that ‘With Love, Meghan’ will be released on Netflix on January 15, which means fans looking to get their hands on the brand’s products may not have to wait much longer.
While the Duchess soft-launched the brand in April by sending jars of strawberry jam to 50 of her famous friends, including Chrissy Teigen, Mindy Kaling, Kris Jenner, and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, the activation was followed by a long lull period.
The brand has also been bogged down by regulatory hiccups, with Meghan asking American authorities for more time to get American Riviera Orchard off the ground last November.
At the time, it was reported her legal team had sought an extension in her attempt to secure a trademark for the company.
She first applied for the trademark for her jams and homemade goods in the summer of 2024 – but the bid was rejected in August due to issues with the filing.
A still from Meghan’s forthcoming reality series ‘With Love, Meghan’ that will be released on Netflix on January 15
Meghan was then given three months to address errors and challenges to the application.
Last November, she asked for another three months to complete this. If the deadline is missed, the application will need to be started again.
Meghan first lodged documents with the US Patent and Trademark Office earlier this year but suffered an embarrassing blow when the forms were not filled in correctly.
Her bid to secure a trademark for American Riviera Orchard has also been contested by rival lifestyle brand Harry & David, who own the ‘Royal Riviera’ trademark and allege it’s too similar to the name for Meghan’s lifestyle company.
Meghan’s legal team, led by top US attorney Marjorie Witter Norman, applied to the Patent and Trademark Office in the States in March for legal protection to exclusively trade using the name American Riviera Orchard.
The duchess has also been told that she cannot have exclusive rights to American Riviera because it is a commonly used place name to describe the California coast where she and Harry live.
Representatives for the Sussexes have previously said such hurdles were ‘routine and expected when filing for trademarks’.
Considering Meghan’s Netflix series will showcase the Duchess’ cooking, gardening, and hosting skills, there is likely to be enough room to promote a range of different American Riviera products across categories
The Sussexes have also reportedly ‘struggled’ to find a CEO for Meghan’s new home goods and lifestyle venture – although sources close to the Duchess have insisted she is happy running the business herself.
While fans may have expected the first products to hit the market would be her much-publicised jams, the DailyMail revealed in June that the company is prioritisng the launch of a rosé wine instead.
To complement the reported wine launch, it’s expected that other products in the initial tranche of releases will be drinking and serving ware, bar essentials and other products, related to hosting and entertaining.
However, considering Meghan’s Netflix series will showcase the Duchess’ cooking, gardening, and hosting skills, there is likely to be enough room to promote a range of different American Riviera products across categories.
The new Netflix series is expected to mark Meghan’s return to her ‘domestic goddess’ roots in a journey that began with her much-loved lifestyle blog ‘The Tig’ that was shuttered in 2017.
