Meghan Markle shows true colours as she makes 'understandable mistake' with new brand

Meghan Markle has faced a backlash after launching her lifestyle brand As Ever after ditching the American Riviera Orchard name - and one expert says the video when she announced the change was very telling

Meghan Markle announced her new lifestyle brand name in an excitable Instagram video.

But within hours of the huge unveiling of As Ever, after ditching the American Riviera Orchard name, the Duchess of Sussex faced a backlash. The mayor of a town on the Spanish island of Mallorca claimed Meghan had 'copied' its coat of arms when revealing her name logo that shows a palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds.

Then it emerged the brand shares its name with a New York-based clothing brand. The Instagram video where Meghan announced the change was also said to have a sly dig at the Royal Family after she claimed she hadn't been able to share the cooking, gardening and crafting tips that she loves for several years.

But former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror that the negativity against Meghan had been unfair - and her video actually portrayed simple statements of fact.

She said: "Lots of new ventures hit teething problems and Meghan’s was no exception. She obviously should have been advised to research the copyright of her chosen brand name, but we all make mistakes. She has now tried to put the best spin on these early setbacks.

"I don’t think she was making a dig at the Royals by saying she hadn’t been able to share her cooking and gardening tips for the past few years. It is simply a statement of fact. She didn’t sound bitter or resentful about it. She sounded delighted that she is now free to resume what she has already proved to herself to be extremely good at: selling lifestyle ideas and suggestions."

Before marrying Prince Harry, Meghan ran her own successful lifestyle blog called The Tig, where she shared holiday snaps and recipes. And Jennie believes this success should set her up well for the future.

She added: "I think she’s keen to make it a success because this is what she has already proved herself to be very good at. These days she is a great deal more famous than before she met Harry, and is likely to attract far more business to her site so she stands to make a good living for herself and her family.

"And that, they said, was one of the reasons they wanted to leave the royal family: to earn their own way in life, and of course to be free. And that really is fair enough. Good for her, doing what she clearly enjoys, probably making a great deal of money and helping to pay for the luxurious life they have in California. "

So could Meghan have tried to set up this brand if she and Harry were allowed to stay within the royal fold? Jennie explained: "It’s hard to say whether she would eventually have been allowed to do this sort of thing if she had remained in the royal family. You could compare it with Charles‘s Highgrove shop.

But the crucial difference is that all the profits from Highgrove – the garden tours and the shop – go to his charitable foundation. If Meghan had been willing to donate all proceeds from her website to charity, then it might have been possible. But I think it’s unlikely that she would have wanted that."