Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, has found herself in hot water in a variety of ways as of late. Now, things have gotten even worse for her, as a “word salad” comment that she made is backfiring on her in a big way.
Meghan’s ‘Word Salad’ Moment
Earlier this year, Meghan changed the name of her lifestyle brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever. This came after the name American Riviera Orchard was hit with trademark issues. On Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan,” however, she had a different explanation for the name change.
Meghan claimed that the name American Riviera Orchard simply “became this word salad,” adding, “I don’t love that so much.”
Meghan noticeably made no mention of the trademark blunders that essentially rendered the name American Riviera Orchard unusable.
Experts Weigh In
Experts are now speaking out to say that Meghan chalking up the name change to “word salad” was a mistake. Indeed, Meghan could have come off as more relatable if she’d admitted the trademark errors, given the fact that the entire point of her podcast is to discuss launching a successful business.
“Her reasoning has been more excuse than clear explanation,” Doug Eldridge, a branding expert and the founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News. “Her statements don’t ring authentic candor. Sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same thing. Unfortunately, Meghan keeps choosing what she believes is the ‘easy thing.’ Thus far, it hasn’t worked.”
“[Her trademark issues are] sloppy work by her team,” he alleged. “Meghan has a lot of holes to sew up, and until she does, she’ll continue to return to shore with nothing to bring to market.”
Related: Meghan Markle Suffers Yet Another Humiliating Fail
Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard Fail
Back in September, Meghan was hit with a crushing blow when the U.S. patent and trademark office denied the application for American Riviera Orchard. The office let Meghan know that businesses can’t trademark geographical locations. It pointed out that American Riviera is a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara, where Meghan lives with Harry and their two children. The office added that putting the word “Orchard” after American Riviera made “little difference.”
The next month, the food and gift retailer Harry & David filed a protest against American Riviera Orchard. The brand claimed that the name was too similar to their “Royal Riviera” product line.
Meghan finally backed down in February and changed the name to As Ever.
Related: Meghan Markle’s ‘As Ever’ Launch Blows Up After She’s Forced To Issue Apology for Unfilled Orders
Meghan Lacks ‘Authenticity’
“The trademark issues and name change derive from her lack of preparedness and expertise in this arena,” lamented British royals expert Hilary Fordwich.
“[There’s also a] strategic misalignment with the marketplace,” she continued. “The United States Patent and Trademark Office refuses trademarks that are primarily geographically descriptive, which is rather obvious. This is not a complex issue at all.”
Fordwich went on to say that even Meghan’s most devoted supporters are “somewhat weary with every misstep she makes that is amplified.”
“She should be more cautious, consistent and, above all, authentic to avoid being just another celebrity-turned-entrepreneur,” Fordwich warned. “She is not coming from a place of authenticity.”
Meghan is desperate for this brand to be a success. Indeed, she has suffered many fails since she and Harry stepped down as senior royals in 2020. Given Meghan’s latest “word salad” fail, however, it’s not looking very good for her. Only time will tell if As Ever is actually a hit!