Meghan Markle caught in another row with SECOND ‘As Ever’ business ‘named after my dead grandmother’
THE Duchess of Sussex has been called out again from another As Ever business, with the owner revealing she named her photography company in honour of her dead grandmother.
Owner of Arizona-based As Ever Photography, Jen, took to Instagram to express her opinion on the awkward name match, tagging both Meghan and Netflix in the cryptic post.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, announced her latest rebrand to followers this week, revealing her new lifestyle company name and logo.
In the post where she joked about hoping to be enlisted as a photographer for the rebrand of American Riviera Orchard, Jen wrote: “When one of the most famous people in the world starts using your biz name of 12+ years (that you named in honour of your grandmother), seems like they could throw me a lil bone? @meghan @netflix”.
Meghan’s team declined to comment upon being approached.
It comes after another small business owner expressed fears he is powerless to act after Meghan used his brand’s name.
Mark Kolski, 58, was stunned after the former Suits actress broadcast her news as he has been running a “one-man band” New York-based clothing company with the same name for the past seven years.
Speaking to The Sun he said he is refusing to change his company’s title and “exploring all possibilities”.
He said: “I’m a very small business, it’s a family-run operation. I’m essentially a one man band.
“This new venture has the power and money of Netflix behind it.
“Even if I wanted to do something I don’t think I have the behemoth of lawyers and money that are behind this.”
Mr Kolski said he doesn’t own the trademark to the name but believes he has common law rights to sell clothing using it since he has been doing business as “As Ever” since 2017.
And The Sun revealed the mayor of a small Majorcan town has accused Meg of “plagiarism” over similarities between her logo and their 14th century coat of arms.
Fans were quick to spot the As Ever design was astonishingly similar to the Coat of Arms of Porreres in Majorca.
Meanwhile an expert blasted the move as “another headache” for Meghan’s team, and potentially “copyright issues”.
The Sun understands that the logo for ‘As ever’ was drawn up after a “comprehensive global searches of registered trademarks”.
The logo incorporates a palm tree as a nod to the couple’s home in Montecito, while the two hummingbirds are said to be a favourite of Prince Harry’s.
The Duke claimed he saw a hummingbird after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The shape enclosing the birds and tree was designed to “create a unique and personal emblem”.
But Nick Ede, a brand and culture expert, told The Sun: “Yes the logo that she has used for the new brand As Ever is clearly very similar to the coat of arms for an area of Majorca.
“This is another brand set back as it looks like its been copied rather than a whole new brand identity created.
“This may potentially create copyright issues and a further headache for Meghan and her team.”
In response to the plagiarism claims, one fan said: “What is she doing. Girl just stop.”
“She is no longer rational and in panic mode is trying anything. Hanging on by her fingernails. Desperation, your name is Meghan,” wrote another.
It may come as a shock to an excited Meghan who said she was “thrilled” to introduce As Ever.
In her Instagram post, she said: “Some of you may have heard whispers about what I’ve been creating. In two weeks, my series on @netflix launches — but there’s something else I’ve been working on.
“I’m thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into.
FICKLE Meghan Markle has to keep reinventing herself while clinging to her royal links – and she is shamelessly using her kids for clout, an expert claims.
The Duchess of Sussex announced a shock name change for her American Rivera Orchard lifestyle brand today.
Announced less than a year ago, the project is now called As Ever, ahead of its official launch to tie in with new Netflix cookery show With Love, Meghan next month.
In her Instagram announcement, the duchess, 43, said the change meant she was no longer “limited” to selling products from the part of Santa Barbara where she grew up.
But she failed to touch on the trademark issues that have dogged the launch, with officials saying she cannot have exclusive rights to “American Rivera” going forward.
Royal author Hugo Vickers told The Sun: “I think there’s a lot of sort of jumping in and then rethinking.”
He said this reflects much of the ventures Meghan and Harry, 40, have undertaken since stepping down as working royals in 2020.
“It’s always this sort of rebranding of themselves, and reinventing themselves so that they’re always in view of the public…” he explained.
“It does all seem a little bit…how do you put it? Incredibly commercial. It’s obviously aimed at marketing. But from what I read, all this has happened quite suddenly.
“There’s lots of applications being put in and things being registered, and so forth. I think it’s all a little bit sort of done on the hoof, to be honest.”
Today’s rebrand announcement video – filmed presumably in the Sussexes’ garden in Montecito – features Harry’s voice playfully telling his wife at the start “it’s recording” before she giggles.
Mr Vickers, pointing out the duke also featured briefly in the brand’s introductory video, said he’s still essentially the main draw.
“I was going to say ‘product placing’, but ‘Meghan placing’, I mean, we watch her because she’s married to Prince Harry,” he said.
“That’s the reason we watch her, and really the only reason, to be quite honest.”
He added: “I rather wonder what will happen if ever the day comes when she doesn’t need him. But that’s all in the future.
“I’ve said this a million times, but that is why we watch them – because he is Prince Harry…he’s put her on the map.
“She was quite well known before she got involved with him. But she’s extremely well known as a result of having married Prince Harry. That’s what it’s all about.”
The As Ever website also features a rare photo of their daughter Lilibet, and Mr Vickers said this, unfortunately, feels like a commercial decision as well.
“I’m personally rather against people using their children for advertising purposes, especially when their children are officially members of the Royal Family,” he said.
“They’ve been given princely titles. So, once again it’s exploiting the royal side, and also…we don’t often see the children. In fact, do we ever see them full on?
“We see the back of the head, occasionally, or we see a hand, or we see something. It’s all rather tantalising.
“It’s been like that right since the start. So I suppose that when they do appear it’s like gosh, there they are, they exist.”
“‘As ever’ means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always’.
“If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me.
“This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish — food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday.
“I will keep sharing behind the scenes tidbits with you here as we ramp up to launch, and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on everything we’ve been creating. Sending lots of love…”
The new As Ever website features a photo of Harry and Meg’s rarely seen daughter Lilibet, three.
Meghan’s lifestyle brand had originally been called American Riviera Orchard, a nickname for where she grew up in Santa Barbara.
But this had sparked several trademark issues, as previously reported.
And, this is not the first time Meghan has faced allegations of plagiarism in her new ventures.
The Duchess was accused of copying recipes and Princess Kate’s beekeeping in her new Netflix show.
With Love, Meghan, which airs on March 4, will consist of eight 33 minute episodes featuring a host of Meg’s various Hollywood friends trying her simple, yet “elevated”, food.