Meghan Markle surprised the digital world with a bold return to social media, unveiling a new chapter that merges her royal heritage with personal passion. However, she faced criticism for this new venture.
Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, has recently made waves with her return to social media, unveiling an Instagram account named American Riviera Orchard. This move is particularly striking, given her previous public stance on the downsides of social media.
The account, as stated in its bio, is personally run “by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex,” signaling a significant step back into the digital world for Meghan.
To date, the page features just the brand’s logo and name, yet Meghan has already begun sharing Instagram stories, including videos of herself cooking, arranging flowers, and standing in the hallway of what appears to be her Montecito, California home.
The internet’s response to Meghan’s re-emergence on social media has been deeply divided. Criticism has been swift, with many pointing out perceived contradictions between her past grievances with public scrutiny and her current use of a public platform.
“Where’s the privacy they so much long for? What about stepping down from royal duties and not going to use the titles,” one person wrote. “They don’t know how to do anything if it’s not related with their titles.”
“Crying everywhere about how terrible social media [is] & how people abuse her, opens a new Instagram to exploit the title & make money from it,” another echoed.
Conversely, a significant portion of the online community came to Meghan’s defense, underscoring the harshness of the critiques and expressing support for her new venture.
Supportive comments include: “Wow these comments are meeeeean. What happened to ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’ [sic]???” and “You are just a normal mom who wanted her privacy!!” Others also expressed their admiration for Meghan, writing, “I love this, i love Meghan [sic]” and “Just keeps winning!!”
Meghan’s foray into lifestyle branding with American Riviera Orchard represents a return to her roots, reminiscent of her pre-royal days when she ran the lifestyle blog “The Tig.”
The brand aims to encapsulate her interests in home, garden, food, and lifestyle, with various products including jellies, jams, spreads, tableware, and even cookbooks.
American Riviera Orchard already has its website available to the public. However, it only shows the brand’s logo and a waitlist sign-up. The logo, featuring calligraphy that harks back to Meghan’s side hustle of doing calligraphy for weddings, adds a personal touch to the brand, emphasizing her involvement and personal style.