Timing of Meghan launch on same DAY as Diana awards is ‘calculated’ & shows she’s trying to ‘one up’ Kate, says expert
A ROYAL expert has slammed Meghan Markle's decision to launch her new business on the same day as Princess Di's awards as a pitiful show of "one-upmanship".
Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun that "nothing is accidental" when it comes to the Sussexes - and what happened tonight would have "saddened Diana".
Just hours before William and Harry were to make speeches at their late mother's Legacy Award event in London - Meghan released her newest venture on Instagram.
The Duchess' new brand - American Riviera Orchard - is said to focus on home, garden and lifestyle goods and will see her flogging anything from jab to table clothes, sources told Page Six.
It mysteriously appeared online - with a brief biography that the brand is "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex", its logo and little else - sending eagle-eyed fans wild.
However, royal commentator Fitzwilliams said: "The announcement is totally consistent with the timing of all the Sussexes announcements.
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"Nothing is ever accidental. They do it to obviously push the news in their opinion."
The choice to to it today, he said, "is an example as to why the split between [Prince William and Harry] is like a Grecian tragedy.
"They are not communicating with each other."
The timing is also particularly significant, Fitzwilliams said, because of the "extraordinary situation of the last days" - the "media hysteria" surrounding Kate's photoshop scandal.
The Princess of Wales' was dramatically forced to apologise on Monday after she digitally altered a sweet picture of her and her kids before it was released on Mother's Day.
Fitzwilliams said: "There's no doubt at all that the Sussexes are making use of the material they have to do a bit of one-upmanship. It's obvious."
And aother added dynamic at play, Fitzwilliams explained, is the future of the Sussexes $100million (£80m) Netflix deal.
He said both Harry and Meghan are "very nervous about their Netflix contract, which expires next year... as it is absolutely pivotal for them because they lost Spotify."
Meghan's flashy new company is reportedly set to coincide with a Netflix cookery show featuring Meghan, which is said to be accompanied with a book and blog.
Markle sparkle: Duchess' business ventures from wellness blog The Tig to kids' book The Bench
ALONG with her well-known acting career Meghan Markle has also carved out something of a career in the business world as well.
Before getting engaged to Prince Harry, the Suits actress had her lifestyle blog The Tig but this was closed down when she got engaged in 2017.
The Tig, named after her favourite wine Tignanello, was seen as something as a rival to Gwyneth Paltrow's £200million Goop, which offers similar wellness and "conscious living" content.
She previously described it as a "passion project" which "evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity".
Since stepping down as senior royals, the couple have produced a podcast, Netflix documentary and memoir, as well as several high-profile interviews between them.
These are said to have made them millions of dollars.
Speaking in docuseries Harry & Meghan, the mum-of-two said of the blog: "It wasn't just a hobby, it became a really successful business.
"I've never really been the type of person to do only one thing. I guess that's how my website was born.
"There was fashion, tons of food, and travel - all the things that I loved."
Rumours emerged in March last year that Meghan was going to relaunch the blog.
Meghan also ventured into the world of children's books with the launch of The Bench in June 2021.
Inside Meghan's 34-page book The Bench, the illustrations give a fresh glimpse into the Sussexes' "authentic" life at their LA home - featuring their then newborn daughter.
The publication was a commerical success with it becoming a number one bestseller on Amazon's chart.
Meghan dedicated her book to the "man and boy who make my heart go pump-pump" in a sweet note for her husband Prince Harry and son Archie.
The mum was "inspired" to write the book after originally creating a poem for Harry's first Father's Day.
The royal couple have also been reported to be planning an Oprah-style media empire after registering a series of new entertainment businesses.
A leading royal commentator says the couple "want to earn loads more money" after they filed 11 companies in tax haven Delaware - seven of which are linked to showbiz ventures.
They appear to have names which are meaningful to the couple, with one – Cloverdale Inc – bearing the same name as the street that the Duchess lived on with her mother in Los Angeles when she was young.
Both Cloverdale and a second company, Riversoul Productions Inc, are set up explicitly in the “entertainment” industry, and join companies Hampshire LLC, Bridgemont LLC and IPHW LLC.
The couple are already using name Archewell Productions for their Netflix and Spotify deals.
Fitzwilliams added: "This link to Netflix is very important and clearly, of course, they've released this [American Riviera Orchard] to point out that they, the Sussexes, are still going strong."
Referencing Harry and Meghan front cover spread on Time's 100 most influential people of 2021, Fitzwilliams added: "They certainly wouldn't be on the equivalent today.
"But so long as they keep the Netflix contract, they are somebody.
"Today, they're pointing out that they're still in the running and their links with Netflix are strong and Meghan is back on Instagram - that is the message."
However, tonight Prince William delivered a moving speech about mum Diana as he recalled she taught him "everyone has the potential to give something back".
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He told the audience that he and the Princess of Wales have sought to focus on Diana's legacy through their work.
Prince Harry is also expected to participate in the award ceremony by speaking to the winners via a video call, but his brother has already left the building.
