An expert has shed light on why Meghan Markle continues to use her royal title to launch her new brands – years after stepping away from the firm.
Meghan Markle surprised fans as she simultaneously launched her new website brand ‘As Ever’ alongside her new Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’. Describing details of the brand on her site, Meghan wrote: “As ever is more than a brand – it’s a love language. Created by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, As ever welcomes you to a collection of products, each inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing with ease.”
A royal author has explained the “essential” reason behind Meghan continuing to use her title The Duchess of Sussex. Co-author of Royal Fever and Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, Pauline MacLaran, exclusively told Express.co.uk that the use of her title has an important meaning. She said: “Meghan has continued to use her royal title since returning to the US and this is what draws an audience to her so it’s pretty essential in my view for her brand.
“Fans love the transformative story that underpins her marriage to Harry, the Cinderella story of getting her Prince. So I think it’s pretty important that she uses her royal title and, of course, she is allowed to do this as she is married to the Duke who is not going to stop using his title anytime soon!”
The marketing expert also explained why else it is vital Meghan uses her credentials. She added: “To maintain her brand, I think it’s fairly essential that she continues to call herself the Duchess of Sussex. By using this association, her credentials to be promoting an aspirational lifestyle are validated, as is her good taste and so forth.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry remained The Duke and Duchess of Sussex despite announcing they would step back as working royals in January 2020. The royals’ move resulted in them losing the ability to be addressed as His or Her Royal Highness, with Harry giving up his military titles. When Harry’s father Charles became King, the couple’s two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Meghan’s new website has unveiled Meghan’s first products, including her infamous raspberry jam. The site says her products would be available in spring 2025 and include herbal teas and flower sprinkles.
There is also pre-made French-style boxed crepe mix and shortbread cookie mix with flower mix, both recipes which Meghan makes on her new show, ‘With Love, Meghan’.
Speaking of the simultaneous timing between the show and website launch, Ms MacLaran added: “I guess this will build up anticipation for the products. Her website acts as a kind of ‘teaser’ campaign to build interest that she hopes the show will really ignite.”
In a candid interview one day before the show launch, Meghan opened up about the title ‘Sussex’. Meghan Markle has said the Sussex title holds deeper significance than she first imagined. Meghan told People Magazine: “It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children.
“I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H, and I all have together. It means a lot to me.”
The Duke of Sussex also added how the name remains “part of our love story”.
The Sussex title was bestowed upon her and Prince Harry by Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day on May 19, 2018. The late Queen gifted her grandson the Duke of Sussex title to mark his nuptials, making his official title His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex. As his new wife, Meghan took on the equivalent title of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, with the dropping of HRH reflecting the official separation of Harry and his wife Meghan from the Royal Family.
