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Meghan Markle's new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, has suffered a setback ahead of its official launch after a trademark “fault” was discovered.
According to reports, several products the luxury brand was trying to sell, including yoga mats and picnic labels, were mislabelled and needed to be “corrected”.
The error was identified by the US Patent and Trademark Office in July and will cost an estimated $11,382 (around £9,000) to correct.
Netflix is reportedly set to take over commercial production for the brand ahead of the launch of Meghan's new cooking show, with the costs of this being thought to be covered by the streaming giant.
News of American Riviera Orchard first broke earlier this year when the Duchess of Sussex, 42, launched the brand's website and Instagram page.
The page doesn't reveal anything about the company's products, but does reveal the logo, the name “ARO,” and the word “Montecito,” a reference to the California town where Meghan lives with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibeth.
The range of products was soft-launched on social media by Meghan's celebrity friends and influencers, who were given exclusive products such as raspberry jam, strawberry jam and dog biscuits.
A source told Page Six that the duchess will be selling products “close to her heart,” including rosé wine.
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. (Associated Press)
American Riviera Orchard isn't Meghan's first foray into the lifestyle world; before joining the royal family in 2018, she ran a successful lifestyle blog called The Tig.
Meghan also launched the brand with an Instagram video that showed the former working royal arranging flowers and cooking, with Nancy Wilson's “I Wish You Love” playing in the background.
The Daily Mail quoted a source as saying that the brand wants to position Meghan as “a symbol of inspiration, ambition and achievement”.
Megan's jams are limited edition and were soft launched on social media. (Tracy Robbins/Instagram)
Sharing the jam on social media, fashion designer Tracy Robbins wrote, “Breakfast, lunch & dinner just got a little bit tastier at @AmericanRivieraOrchard .”
She later posted a photo of the jam in a lemon basket, adding, “Thank you for this delicious basket! I love this jam so much I can't decide if I should share it with someone. @AmericanRivieraOrchard Thank you M! #MontecitoGoodness #AmericanRivieraOrchard.”
The company has also applied to sell downloadable and printable recipe books, tableware and textiles, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.
The Independent has contacted Netflix and Meghan Markle's representatives for comment.
