Meghan Markle surprised fans earlier this year when she soft-launched her rebrand into the lifestyle space. However, one expert thinks the move speaks to her ‘impatience.’

Former British royal Meghan Markle stepped back from her senior royal role in 2020 alongside her husband, Prince Harry, after the Sussexes were not thrilled with the way the royal family and British media were treating them. Ever since, Meghan and Harry have been building a new life in the United States, and that includes new business ventures.

As part of her rebrand into the lifestyle space, Meghan announced earlier this year that she would be launching her American Riviera Orchard business, which one expert now calls a mistake.

Meghan Markle launched her brand too early, expert claims

Meghan had fans in a tizzy when she returned to Instagram back in March 2024. However, it wasn’t a personal account. The Duchess of Sussex was soft-launching her new business venture, American Riviera Orchard, which is a lifestyle brand that offers items like jams and jellies, textiles, and other elements for a sophisticated life. After bringing the idea to Instagram, some celebrities also showed off the jams Meghan had sent them as a part of the soft-launch. However, once those two things happened, everything seemed to stop. American Riviera Orchard has hardly made a sound this entire year, and one expert thinks Meghan announced it too early.

Express reports that royal expert Richard Eden recently revealed his true thoughts about Meghan’s business decision on Palace Confidential, a Daily Mail show. Eden called Meghan out on launching her Instagram account too early. “Anyone knows you don’t launch a social media account and then do nothing,” he said of the stagnant American Riviera Orchard Instagram. “It’s definitely been launched before it’s ready; that’s kind of self-evident. I think it’s next year when something might happen. Essentially it’s all about impatience.”

It’s unclear when Meghan Markle’s brand will officially launch

There have been reports of setbacks to Meghan’s launch, including issues with her patent applications. However, that doesn’t mean the lifestyle brand is struggling. Any startup takes time, and there are often hoops to jump through and speed bumps along the way. It seems that Meghan still does plan to launch the brand, but it might take a little more time.

Eden predicts that something might come of the brand by 2025, which is a fair assumption; Meghan might have hoped for a 2024 launch before being hit with complications. Meghan and Harry recently purchased a vacation home in Portugal, so it’s clear the two don’t need the income from her lifestyle brand right now, anyway.