Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biggest business disasters since Megxit
A few months after Meghan announced the launch of American Riviera Orchard, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has denied the Duchess’ application due to inconsistencies in product categories and concerns about geographic locations as a trademark.
The USPTO denied another application over the mark’s logo, specifically the O in the insignia, because the “description is inconsistent with the mark on the drawing.”
“Descriptions must be accurate and identify only those literal and design elements that appear in the brand,” the response read, according to the document shared by the Daily mail. “In particular, the current brand description indicates that the letter ‘O’ appears in the brand. However, the letter is now clearly visible or highly stylized, making it unrecognizable as a letter. Furthermore, the description is incomplete because it does not describe all elements of the brand.”
It added: “The following description is suggested, if accurate: The mark consists of a double-lined octagon enclosing the stylized and overlapping letters ‘AR’ and containing decorative and looping lines. The final ‘A’ contains a stylized flower at the top of the letter.”
In February 2025, Meghan officially changed the name American Riviera Orchard to As Ever, following several trademark setbacks. However, reports claimed that she did not sign the trademark application documents before submitting them to the office.
She also planned to sell clothing under the new lifestyle brand name, but the USPTO rejected her bid because a Chinese clothing company already existed called ASEVER.
In addition to As Ever’s name, the logo faced complaints because it reportedly looked too similar to a city coat of arms in Mallorca, Spain.
The series of complications didn’t end there, as a jam expert also mentioned her “liquid” apricot spread.
“It’s a real disappointment that Meghan is selling a fruit spread, which is what you make when your jam fails,” said Jelly Queens owner Donna Collins. said. “In the jam industry, we call a spread something that didn’t work. It may have the best ingredients, but if I had a jam that was too runny, I’d put a label on it and call it a spread. There’s no excuse for that. It should be perfect.”
The jam guru also condemned Meghan’s use of “conventionally grown apricots, which will have used pesticides.”
“And why is she using pectin, which is a gelling agent, unless it’s because her spread was too runny? Most spreads don’t use pectin,” she wondered.
In August 2025, a source was revealed to Rob Shuter #ShuterScoop the brand was a ‘disaster’ and had ‘no leadership, no direction and no money’.
“Salespeople haven’t been paid in months,” the insider said, while a former consultant noted that the company has “wasted millions on PR without securing supply chains.”
A separate source speculated that Meghan’s brand was facing criticism over her public image.
“Every misstep is magnified,” they noted.
As for the brand’s status, another source said, “This isn’t all rocky. It’s already sinking.”
