“There are tons of twists and turns,” the Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE of her journey. Meghan Markle is curled up in bed with her sleeping 5-year-old son, Prince Archie, on a recent winter evening in Montecito, California. With her phone in hand, she catches up on emails, finalizing details for the launch of her renamed lifestyle brand, As ever, and her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
Her husband, Prince Harry, 40, is still in Vancouver, wrapping up the Invictus Games. Meghan, 43, had joined him for several days, during which she stayed in close touch with her mother, Doria, checking in on Archie and Princess Lilibet, 3 — who had both gotten sick — and making sure they were seen by the doctor and sipping bone broth.
Now she’s savoring this stillness at home with Archie as he stirs awake, sleepily telling her, “Mama, don’t work too hard.” Recalling the moment to PEOPLE a few days later, the Duchess of Sussex says, “It was the sweetest thing.”
Like any entrepreneur, Meghan has tackled the hard work of launching a new business — but unlike most, she has done so under an intense spotlight. In March 2024, her initial brand name, American Riviera Orchard, debuted online. One month later, jars of jam with the brand’s logo began circulating among pals like Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling. Then came a pause. As anticipation grew, questions arose about when the products would be available, while behind the scenes, she navigated trademark issues.
“There are tons of twists and turns — even with the name,” she says in her most intimate interview in years. “I was figuring it out in real time.”
And although she has faced intense public scrutiny at every step, Meghan says the experience has been defined by growth. “I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and also to be forgiving with myself through that. It’s a learning curve,” she says.
