Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Disappointed By the Reception of Her Lifestyle Brand

"Meghan was in tears when the brand launched."

In March, Meghan Markle announced that she would be launching a luxury lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, inspired by her life in Montecito. The brand will allegedly sell "tableware, drinkware including decanters, kitchen linens and edible treats such as jellies, jams, marmalade and spreads." While many royal fans were excited about the brand, others mocked the products—and apparently, Markle took the criticism to heart.

"Meghan was in tears when the brand launched and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special," said royal expert Tom Quinn to the Mirror. "She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticised. Like her husband, she feels that people are unfairly picking on her—she cannot understand why people don’t admire her work."

Added Quinn: "She is especially sensitive about any criticism of her luxurious lifestyle in the US—from her point of view this is something to be admired not criticised."

Despite some criticism of the brand, Markle is still said to be "excited" about its launch later this year. "She is excited about her latest, personal venture," a source told People in March. "This is something she’s been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves."

Currently, the brand's website and Instagram feature only the gilded cursive logo on an elegant off-white background.

American Riviera Orchard is only one of Markle's big upcoming ventures. She and her husband, Prince Harry, have spearheaded a number of initiatives and projects, including their Netflix documentary, their podcast, and their two recent tours to Nigeria and Colombia. They are also said to have "a movie and a TV show and a couple of unscripted shows” in the works at Netflix. This year, the pair also launched the initiative, The Parents' Network, to support families impacted by cyberbullying.

Another royal expert, Hugo Vickers, recently claimed that the pair may be so busy with projects in an attempt to remain in the public eye and keep their brand going. "Unless they keep coming up with new initiatives and new goods, they’re going to disappear like so many other celebrities, and once that happens I think the future is going to look rather bleak," Vickers said.

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