Meghan Markle has launched her new lifestyle blog, American Riviera Orchard.

The brand, is believed to be selling cutlery – knives forks spoons – cookbooks and electronic cookbooks, coffee, jams jellies and butters.

It also extends to a physical shop from which tableware, mugs, jams, tablecloths and recipe books could be sold.

Before her life in the royal family, Meghan ran a lifestyle blog called ‘The Tig’.

The passion project’ back in 2014, naming it after her favourite Tignanello red wine.

While up and running, the blog was filled with insights into the former actress’s life, including her relationship with her now estranged father and then best friend Jessica Mulroney.

To her devoted fans, Meghan opened up about her struggles of not fitting in during her time at High School, filling her lunch times with endless extra-curriculum activities just so she did not have to ‘eat lunch alone’.

She closed down The Tig after meeting Prince Harry, of course.

Meghan’s longtime friend, Suits director and producer Silver Tree, explained in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries: ‘When she first was describing [the blog] to me, she was like, “It’s like your best friend telling you all the fun things you wish you knew about in one place.”‘

But could we expect more candid confessions? Here, FEMAIL looks at some of Meghan’s most revealing posts on the Tig… 

Meghan ‘always felt like she never fitted in’ 

On her 33rd birthday Meghan declared that she had found true happiness, by being ‘kind’ to herself.

The Duchess of Sussex said her ’20s were brutal’ and her ‘teens were even worse’ where she agonised over ‘how to fit in’.

She recalled in high school spending her lunch times full of extra curriculum activities so she could avoid sitting alone in the canteen.

Writing on her blog she said: ‘My high school had cliques: the black girls and white girls, the Filipino and the Latina girls.

‘Being biracial, I fell somewhere in between. So every day during lunch, I busied myself with meetings – French club, student body, whatever one could possibly do between noon and 1pm- I was there.

‘Not so that I was more involved, but so that I wouldn’t have to eat alone.’

As she entered into her early twenties she said she struggled with ‘judging my weight, my style, my desire to be as cool/as hip/as smart/as ‘whatever’ as anyone else’.

When she was a struggling actress at 24, auditioning for different roles, a casting director told her to wear ‘less makeup’ and instead be ‘more Meghan’.

This was a mantra she decided to take with her throughout the rest of her twenties and into her thirties – ‘more Meghan’.

At the time of writing the blog post, Meghan had been divorced from ex-husband Trevor Engelson for two years and was yet to meet her Prince.

She told her fans they did not need anyone else to ‘complete’ them and that they are ‘enough’ themselves.

The ‘unladylike habits’ she vowed to give up

 Just months before she met Prince Harry, Meghan set out to ditch some of her ‘unladylike habits’ in the New Year.

Writing to fans on The Tig on January 1 2016, the future Duchess disclosed her goals and priorities for the year.

This included running a marathon, to stop swearing and to stop biting her nails as well as re-learning French.

She wrote: ‘These make my New Year’s resolution list nearly (AKA actually every) single year. The marathon hasn’t happened. The swearing comes in lulls triggered by being overworked or feeling mighty cheeky after a couple drinks.’

But Meghan also decided to not be so hard on herself if she failed to complete these goals.

She added: ‘This year I resolve to not have a resolution. If I can’t run a marathon, that’s okay. (I’m getting older – my knees are bothering me.) If it takes me a couple more years to lock down that French tutor and nail the language j’adore oh so much, that’s cool too.

‘My nails will be fine, and if I toss out a four letter word once in a blue moon, well frankly I think it adds character.’

Her one aim for the year was to ‘approach life playfully’ and ‘leave room for magic’, as advised by her Suit’s co-star Gina Torres.

Her thoughts on ‘Princess Kate’s wedding

She’s insisted on numerous occasions that she knew very little about the Royal Family before meeting Prince Harry, but Meghan Markle was certainly aware of one of his relatives – Kate Middleton .

A blog post from the Duchess of Sussex’ now defunct website The Tig reveals her feelings about royal princesses before she met Prince Harry – and they’re not completely flattering.

The former actress reflected on the ‘pomp and circumstance’ of the wedding of ‘Princess Kate’, and made a rather scathing reference to ‘grown women’ who entertain ‘childhood fantasies’ about fairytale princesses.

The entry from 2014, written by Meghan during her time on Suits, spoke about her own childhood dream of becoming ‘She-Ra, Princess of Power’.

A blog post from Meghan Markle’s now defunct website The Tig referred to the extravagant wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011, and the Duchess seemed to take a dim view of ‘childhood fantasies’ about fairytale princesses

Describing her icon, she wrote: ‘We’re definitely not talking about Cinderella here,’ and then mentioned the ‘endless conversation’ about Kate Middleton’s lavish wedding to Prince William in 2011.

Speaking of her own childhood fantasies, she said: ‘Little girls dream of being princesses. I, for one, was all about She-Ra, Princess of Power.

‘For those of you unfamiliar with the ’80s cartoon reference, She-Ra is the twin sister of He-Man and a sword-wielding royal rebel known for her strength.

‘We’re definitely not talking about Cinderella here.

‘Grown women seem to retain this childhood fantasy. Just look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding and endless conversation about Princess Kate.’

‘She’s savvy and fashionable and très cool, and also va va va voom pritaaaaay’

 Before she moved to the UK, where she remained for less than two years as a working royal, Meghan had a close group of friends in Toronto.

Her closest friend was said to be Canadian mother-of-three and stylist Jessica Mulroney, who she met on the set of Suits and for years they were reportedly inseparable.

In December 2015, Meghan raved about her bestie on the defunct blog: ‘She’s savvy and fashionable and très cool, and also va va va voom pritaaaaay.

‘And here’s the other thing – she also happens to be an incredible stylist, clothing the likes of Canada’s First Lady, Sophie Trudeau.’

The piece went on to list Jessica’s style tips for the festive period.

The women remained extremely close over the following years, so much so that Meghan even called Jessica on the night Harry proposed.

In the Netflix series, the Suit’s star appears to have video called Jessica where she said: ‘Oh my God Jess, it’s happening. He told me not to peek.’

Their close relationship was once again shown at the royal wedding, when Jessica was included in the bridal party, with her young daughter Ivy acting as a flower girl.

Her sons, Brian and John, were also page boys. The stylist was given a starring role as she entered the chapel alongside the Princess of Wales.

The day of the royal wedding Jessica shared snaps captioned: ‘Proud friend. Proud mom.’

More recently, however, the pair’s friendship seems to have cooled, with Jessica being noticeably absent from the couple’s Netflix docuseries, which included Meghan’s other friends like tennis star Serena Williams and Suit’s co-star Abigail Spencer.

She also made no public comments on the revelations made in Harry’s biography Spare.

It appeared as though the friendship started to become distant in 2020, after the style guru was called out by lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter for comments she made regarding ‘white privilege’ while the pair had a conversation about the Black Lives Matters movement.

Following on from the blogger’s claims, Jessica issued three public apologies but despite this was still dropped by a number of television networks.

This included her stints as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America as well as the Canadian TV network, who said they would be pulling all episodes of her wedding-themed reality show, I Do Redo.

Jessica has not commented on rumours of them drifting apart.

In January, however, Jessica did share a snap of herself at the Duke and Duchess’ wedding, which was seen on the Netflix docuseries.

The style guru shared the picture on her Instagram without a caption and disabled comments on the post in a cryptic move.

 The day Meghan said her life changed forever – and it involved a £36 dress, rattling car and cheap blow-dry

One post on her blog, from January 2015 recalled the moment the Duchess said her life changed forever.

Meghan, at the time a struggling actress, had just finished an audition for a television show pilot called A Legal Mind – later to become known as the legal drama Suits.

But she thought she ‘blew it’ telling her agent: ‘I kept forgetting my lines, I was distracted, and I blew it. Which sucks because I really wanted this one. I really like Rachel.’

Following what she thought was a setback, the actress wrote: ‘I went home and ate my feelings (likely some iteration of bread and cheese – pizza, quesadilla, it didn’t matter) because I wasn’t in a place to be able to let it go. I wanted it, and I lost my shot at it. Or so I thought.’

Instead, the casting directors liked her enough to invite her back to audition in front of the studio and network bosses.

After being given some last-minute advice about her appearance, ‘more conservative, think hair pulled back and business attire’, she bought a $45 outfit and had her ‘hair blown out at DryBar because it was close to my house’.

The audition ended up being a success despite how ‘nervous’ and ‘hungry’ the actress said she was at the time.

She added: ‘I had no idea that this late August morning of 2011 would change my life.

‘That I would get the part. That I would live in a little apartment in Manhattan to shoot the pilot. That over a lunch of lentil salad and muhammara on Beverly Drive, I would get a call saying we were picked up. That I would film the series in Canada.’

During the blog post, she also gushed about her friends and cast-mates Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty.

She said: ‘I didn’t know that the regal looking woman was Gina Torres, who would end up feeding me picadillo and white, burgundy in her home.

‘Or that Sarah Rafferty would become not just my Suits sister wife, but my sister – the one I hike with, and vent with, and laugh til it hurts with.

‘I didn’t know my cast would become my family, and that so many #suitors would welcome us into their homes.’

 How she bonded with tennis champion Serena Williams over hot sauces

Serena Williams and Meghan’s friendship has been well documented over the years.

The tennis superstar and the Duchess first met in 2010 at a Superbowl Party, then once again in 2014 where they ‘hit it off immediately’ according to The Tig.

The close relationship between the pair was evident when Serena starred in the Duke and Duchesses’ Netflix docuseries, Meghan and Harry.

She featured in the third episode where she said: ‘I’m looking at it through the lens of my friend, not a princess.

‘They as a couple are so tight. And rely on each other so much… I was just super excited.’

Williams added Meghan and Harry are each other’s’ ‘best, best, best friends’.

In 2014, Meghan spoke about the first time she met Serena: ‘We hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing through the flag football game we were both playing in, and chatting not about tennis or acting, but about all the good old fashioned girly stuff.

‘So began our friendship. She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was traveling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches, and the down to earth chick I was able to grab lunch with just a couple weeks ago in Toronto.’

Their friendship continued to grow over their love of fashion, ‘hot sauces’ and their ‘endless ambition’.

After Meghan became Prince Harry’s girlfriend in 2016, the Duchess leaned on the tennis pro who advised her on how to handle the paparazzi.

According to Mark Hodgkinson in Serena: A Graphic Biography of the Greatest Tennis Champion, the women’s friendship evolved through regular phone calls and texts.

Serena told Meghan to ‘stop being so nice’, according to Hodgkinson.

She went on to be invited to Meghan’s hen do and her New York baby shower in 2019.

More recently, as well as appearing in the Netflix series, Meghan invited her to star on the first episode of her Spotify podcast Archetypes.

The wish Meghan makes every birthday inspired by her mother 

Every year for her birthday Meghan makes the same wish, inspired by her own mother Doria.

She said that every birthday acts as ‘your own personal New Year’ where you can make resolutions for yourself.

Celebrating her birthday in August 2016, around the time she met Prince Harry for the first time, Meghan wished for ‘a big old happy blank filled with ‘more surprises, more adventure, more opportunities to grow, more days filled with giggles and cheeky jokes, more delicious meals, and more inspiration’.

 Her ‘Eat, Pray. Love’ month

In one of her later blog posts, months after meeting Prince Harry, Meghan wrote how she had spent the summer like the main character in Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel Eat, Pray, Love.

The Duchess had decided to spend her August hiatus from filming Suits with one simple mission, to ‘eat everything, pray (meditate) often, and simply love her (my) life, every ounce of it’.

Meghan spent the summer on ‘extravagant’ getaways, accompanied by some ‘trusted friends who met her (me) along the way for my various adventures’ who helped her ‘celebrate’ her life.

Speaking to her devoted fans, who would have seen her gallivanting abroad throughout that month, she explained she did not always lead such a luxurious life.

Meghan wrote: ‘It wasn’t long ago (cough – about ten years ago – cough) that I only had $40 in my bank account, that I could barely book an audition, and that my circle of friends was even smaller.

‘But even then, without all the pomp and circumstance, I made time to celebrate my life. Maybe it was pizza and a bottle of two buck chuck from Trader Joe’s with a couple girlfriends, tucked in for the night sitting on my living room floor.

‘Or maybe it was a dance party in my tiny apartment or a sobbing session to purge all of those feelings with my nearest and dearest.’

Orchard on the American Riviera. Is this the What Three Words address – that newfangled app that uses three words to identify almost every inch of the planet – for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s beautiful Montecito mansion?

I checked, but unfortunately that is not the case. But it IS the name of the Duchess’s new lifestyle brand, which was launched on Thursday with a stylish Instagram video, complete with regal-looking emblem and swirly calligraphy.

Blousy pink and white florals and a whimsical soundtrack accompany an atmospheric soft-focus shot of the Duchess hard at work in a white tank top (always practical, our Duchess) in her elegant earth-toned kitchen before we get a final glimpse of her appearance effortlessly regal in a long dress. If you do. Move over Nigella Lawson, there’s a new Domestic Goddess in town.

The name is somewhat baffling. It sounds like the kind of crazy name a pop star would give to their child: Blue Ivy (Beyonce), Daisy Dove Bloom (Katy Perry), Bluebell Madonna (Gerri Halliwell). But it does not matter. It’s Meghan’s baby, she can name it whatever she wants.

Because for once I don’t think it’s a bad idea on her part. It’s certainly one of her better ventures of late. Since the Duchess left Britain, she and Prince Harry have been seemingly unable to move on, obsessed with exacting revenge on those back home.

They’ve become a real bunch of trolls, too preoccupied with what they left behind to see what lies ahead, too busy worrying about the past to build a future.

This new venture feels like a welcome change from that decidedly negative and highly toxic mentality, a return to the Meghan Markle of old, the one we all rather liked, the sassy, ​​stylish, independent woman with killer heels and a career of her own. own.

Before she met the prince, she had her own lifestyle blog, The Tig, and the truth is, she was pretty good at it. She certainly seemed much happier about it than she ever was as a working royal.

So why not? Why not go back to her roots and pick up where she left off, just with a few more strings to her bow, not least the swirling title and princely accessory? It’s a lot more fun than those rather dry, sanctimonious podcasts of hers, and it’s certainly a lot less annoying, for everyone involved, than endlessly whining about microaggressions.

Plus, someone has to pay for that expensive California lifestyle, and since Prince Harry’s exact skills don’t seem to be clear yet, someone has to keep the family on private jets. With a follow-up cooking show on Netflix and a series of commercial spin-offs, this could finally be the new payday the Sussexes have been waiting for.

I’m sure audiences will enjoy it, especially when they discover that they too can buy their own piece of the Sussex lifestyle pie. “Meghan will make and sell products such as jam,” we are told. ‘And at some point there will be a book and a blog etc.’ I would expect nothing less. All jelly, no Jerusalem. It’s what she always wanted.

There are, of course, questions about the exploitation of her royal title. And it’s true, there will inevitably be aspects of such a commercial venture that will feel a bit grimy in that regard. But we shouldn’t make the best the enemy of the good, and I would much rather she traded her royal connections for shredding cabbage than the reputation of the royal family at home.

But if she succeeds, she will no longer have the time, inclination, or need to do so, and that can only be for the better. She’ll finally be relevant in her own right – and that’s basically all she’s ever wanted.

Let’s face it, this was always where Meghan was going to end up. She was never cut out for a royal life: too selfless, too restrictive, too unrewarding for a hothouse flower like her.

This way, she finally becomes the star of her own show, doing something she enjoys – i.e. telling people how to be more like her – and financing more of the luxurious lifestyle she loves.

Good luck to her, I’d say.

Canadian socialite Jessica Mulroney, who was once Meghan Markle’s best friend, is celebrating a rather somber 44th birthday today.

Her father-in-law, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, recently passed away.

Mr. Mulroney, the former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993, died on February 29 at the age of 84 and will lie in state in Ottawa before his funeral in Montreal on Saturday, March 23.

Jessica, mother of three children and married to Ben, the statesman’s son, will undoubtedly keep a low profile during the official mourning period.

If so, it will be in line with recent years, and especially since an unfortunate white privilege row. After which Meghan would have cut her adrift.

The two women were once inseparable after developing a close friendship around 2011, while the actress was living in Toronto working on the hit legal drama Suits.

They were at the center of Canada’s social scene, often spotted dining out – complete with obligatory Instagram posts – and often arriving together at glamorous society events.

In Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s 2020 book Finding Freedom, the authors write that Jessica and her husband Ben were the “hottest young power couple” in town.

They explain: ‘After the women were introduced by a local fashion publicist, Jessica not only encouraged Meghan to follow the same path, but also introduced her to an exciting, vibrant social scene full of high-profile charity events, the opening of new hotspots, fantastic restaurants and chic friends like Michael Bublé.

“Jessica and Ben were close friends with the Canadian singer-songwriter and his wife, Argentine-born actress-model Luisana Lopilato, whose intimate parties at their home in Vancouver were a coveted invitation.”

The two BFFs even spent a “month of wanderlust” in Europe in the summer of 2016, and when Meghan and Prince Harry first started their relationship, the Mulroneys offered the loved-up couple a refuge from nosy paparazzi in their home in a chic suburb. of Toronto.

In fact, they were so close that Jessica, a fashion stylist and marketing consultant, was the first person Meghan told after Prince Harry proposed on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

In the suspenseful Sussex Netflix docuseries ‘Harry and Meghan’, the Duchess is seen making the transatlantic FaceTimie call to Jessica to break the news that ‘it’s happening’.

In addition to attending Meghan’s lavish baby shower in New York in 2019, she played such an integral role in the planning of the royal wedding that she arrived at St George’s Chapel Windsor with the Princess of Wales and her children acted as page boys and bridesmaids.

She even accompanied the couple on their royal tour of Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga and is also said to have played an “influential” role in Megxit – the couple’s momentous decision to give up their royal duties and privileges and move to California to leave.

Even in early 2020, Jessica spoke out in support of Prince Harry and Meghan amid the furore surrounding their move to America, posting on her Instagram account: ‘A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink. ‘

It’s not hard to suggest why the two friends seemed so perfectly matched. Jessica brought with her the old money connections and social cachet that comes from being part of one of Canada’s most prominent families.

Aside from the Mulroney connection, she’s an heiress in her own right.

Born Jessica Bownstein, she is a great-granddaughter of Benjamin Brownstein, the founder of Brown’s Shoes, a retailer prominent on every high street in Canada and known for its philanthropic work – the company gives 10 percent of its profits to charity goal.

Her brother John is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School.

Meghan, meanwhile, was the hottest celebrity in town while “Suits” was showing and her Hollywood stardust undoubtedly boosted Jessica’s profile, leading to TV appearances on “Good Morning America” ​​and the Canadian talk show CityLine and a spot as host of the reality show TV program ‘I Do, Redo’ in which couples whose wedding had failed were given the opportunity to experience another special day.

But in recent years, rumors of a rift between the two women have swirled, fueled by indirect references on Jessica’s social media accounts.

The schism appears to date back to 2020, when Jessica became involved in an inappropriate argument with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter, who criticized her for “taking offense” to a “generic call to action” post Sasha had shared about the Black Lives Matter movement. .

Sasha Exeter said at the time: ‘I am by no means calling Jess a racist, but what I am saying is this: she is very aware of her wealth, perceived power and privilege because of the color of her skin and that, my friends, gave her in writing the temporary confidence to earn my living. A textbook example of white privilege, in my personal opinion.’

Despite making a number of public apologies, including posting the statement: “As some may have seen, Sasha Exeter and I had a disagreement. She rightly called me out for not doing enough when it came to starting the important and difficult conversation about race and injustice in our society. I took it personally and that was wrong. I know I have to do better. Those of us who have a platform should use it to speak out.”

She also wrote, commenting on a video clip shared by Sasha, that she is “unequivocally sorry,” adding, “As I told you privately, I went through a very public and personal experience with my best friend that centered race was standing. It was very educational.’

That statement was reportedly seen by Meghan as an exploitation of their friendship.

The feud had a huge impact on Jessica’s professional career, causing her to be dropped by a number of television networks.

ABC confirmed that Jessica would not return to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America. And Canadian network CTV also cut ties, revealing it would be pulling all episodes of its wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo from its platform.

Jessica also stepped down from the board of directors of The Shoebox Project, the charity she co-founded a decade ago to “provide gifts to women living in shelters or accessing community support,” according to public records.

A new survey has named the Princess of Wales as Britain’s favorite royal as Harry and Meghan’s popularity falls.

The poll – which was conducted before the publication of the controversial edited Mother’s Day photo – found that 38 percent of Britons liked Kate Middleton the most.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s popularity has fallen by three points – with Harry on 11 percent and Meghan on seven percent.

The Princess of Wales has been the subject of intense speculation and conspiracy theories in recent weeks – and found herself in a social media firestorm after admitting to editing a family photo for Mother’s Day.

Royal insiders have claimed she wants to move on from the firestorm caused by the image and is struggling with its aftermath.

The new poll shows that the princess is especially popular among women: 44 percent prefer her, compared to 32 percent of men.

Half of 55 to 75 year olds also named Kate as their favorite, according to the Ipsos survey commissioned by Ipsos. The standard.

Of those aged 35 to 54, 37 percent named the princess as their first choice, along with 28 percent of those aged 18 to 34.

Kate’s husband comes in second, with William favored by 36 percent, followed by Princess Anne with 26 percent.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were only the favorite of 12 percent of Brits surveyed – a rise of two points since the last survey.

Social media sleuths were already wondering where she was before the explosive Mother’s Day photo, which saw six of the world’s top photo agencies sensationally withdraw the photo from their nets and libraries, fearing the ‘source manipulated the image’.

The princess has been recovering from surgery since January, but her absence from the public eye prompted conspiracy theorists to postulate.

But when a photo of Kate with her children was posted on Mother’s Day, the speculation took on a whole new form.

Astute social media users pointed out a plethora of problems with the image – and it was withdrawn by photo agencies shortly afterwards.

The princess then posted an apology for the confusion caused and admitted that she had edited the family photo.

Kate is reportedly recovering well from her major abdominal surgery and is expected to be back by Easter, but sources say she needs to be left alone to put her recovery first.

She publicly took the blame for the family photo released by Kensington Palace on Sunday, while apologizing for the “confusion.”

MailOnline identified 16 separate edits, including issues with the princess’s jeans zipper and right hand – amid claims the photo had been digitally altered.

Just hours after her apology, Kate was pictured with her husband leaving Windsor Castle as he headed to Westminster Abbey or the annual Commonwealth Day service.

But instead of an extraordinary return to royal duties, MailOnline understands Kate was heading to a private appointment instead.

Sources within royal circles are warning of the negative impact rumors could have on the future queen as she recovers from her major surgery in January.

“It’s an awful lot to be under all this public scrutiny when you’re recovering from major surgery,” one person told US news site Page Six.

‘The rumor mill – especially on social media – has gone out of control, but Kate is recovering well and will be back by Easter. She just needs to be left alone.”

Another insider added: ‘I’m worried about all this attention on Catherine. She didn’t look happy at all in the car on Monday.’

Despite calls for the original image to be published, Kensington Palace insisted the unedited photo of Kate and her children would not be reissued.

Royal commentator Jennie Bond suggested Kate ‘must now feel intense pressure when seen in public’ after her major surgery in January.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke their silence on the photo editing scandal, denying claims they said the Duchess would ‘never make that mistake’.

Amid mounting speculation surrounding the Mother’s Day image of Kate and her children, which was released to the world by Kensington Palace on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation spoke out and denied that any official representative of the couple had done that. comments on the controversy on page six.

Speaking to Newsweek, the spokesperson took issue with quotes published by the newspaper stating that a source “close to Prince William, Harry and his wife” had not come “from us.”

The source in question told Page Six that the editing error is “not a mistake Meghan would ever make,” noting that “she has a keen eye and a whimsical attention to detail.”

However, Archewell’s official spokesperson has now insisted to Newsweek that the information “did not come from us,” saying simply: “As far as Page Six is ​​concerned, it did not come from us.”

The statement marks the first time Harry, 39, and his wife have officially discussed the photo editing controversy in any official capacity.

Alongside claims that Meghan would ‘never make the movie’ [same] wrong,” Page Six also published quotes from an insider who claimed the Sussexes “would have been destroyed” if they had released a similarly edited image.

“If Harry and Meghan had ever faced the same problem, they would have been destroyed,” the source quotes read.

‘The same rules do not apply to both couples.

“This is not a mistake Meghan would ever make… she has a keen eye and a whimsical eye for detail.”

However, the outlet did not mention that the quotes came from within Archewell — and Newsweek noted that the comments could have been made by an acquaintance of the Sussexes who is not officially connected to the Foundation.

‘A possible tour’ of King Charles to Australia later this year hardly seems like news to prompt us to string up the streamers or pop the streamers.

At any other time, such an unclear announcement from the Australian prime minister’s office might indicate that the king has only dampened interest in a foray into the colonies.

And only if His Royal Highness does not receive a better offer.

The past two weeks of royal woe have changed all that. At this point, the idea that Charles might – just might – make his first visit Down Under since becoming king is a bright light in an ocean of gloom.

Not only does it provide the first sign that the 75-year-old king’s cancer treatment could ultimately be successful, it also underlines how important the relationship between the two nations remains – for both sides.

The king will miss next Monday’s Commonwealth Day service as he continues to receive treatment, but he takes his role as head of the 56 member states very seriously.

He has even recorded a special message that will be broadcast around the world to mark the event.

In fact, his decision to go ahead with the planned trip to Australia speaks volumes of his desire to protect and maintain a shared relationship that, frankly, is vital to both parties – no matter how much bickering may have occurred along the way .

In the years leading up to Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022, the conversation in Australia tended to assume that while we respected Her Majesty, the same affection would not be extended to her son.

Expectations grew that the country would break ties with the monarchy and be ruled by its own head of state.

Not that anyone knew what this might look like – which is partly why the referendum on a republic failed when it was voted on in 1999.

A quarter of a century later, the push for independence has never looked so weak.

Strangely enough, the crown-and-castle caper that we apparently wanted to throw overboard has been replaced by something that is somewhere between curiosity and respect.

Here, where the royal family is neither an institutional anchor nor a backdrop to everyday life, the pranks of recent years have largely served as entertainment.

As Megxit unfolded, we watched from a distance as if we were watching the Kardashians, only with crowns.

Yet Sussex’s defection did little to advance the republican cause.

Instead – and rather oddly – ​​it seemed to anchor our allegiance to this trouble-ridden family with the aging matriarch, a gradually rehabilitated heir, his two motherless sons and their glamorous wives.

Duty, service and fortitude: those qualities we so admired in the woman who ruled for seventy years were suddenly thrown into stark relief by the antics of Harry and Meghan.

Here in the country where anyone with tickets for themselves is quickly targeted, the new king, his good-natured wife and the beautiful Welsh family seemed the epitome of dignity and tireless hard work.

Here where there is little respect for moaning or posturing, Harry’s hypocrisy of constantly bashing his family while still immersing himself in the titles and trappings it brings has not won him any fans.

Our loyalty to Britain is based on characteristics that are as traditional as they are modern: shared values, togetherness, democracy, loyalty, good-natured rivalry and – in these unsettling global times – a deep commitment to peace.

When the palace announced the king had cancer, even the Australian Republican Movement sent well wishes.

Announcing the “possible” royal visit yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pointed out that King “has shown compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis.”

“The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia,” he said.

Post-cancer, Australia will be a soft landing place for the monarch who has admired the continent since he lived here as a schoolboy. He considers his time at Geelong Grammar to be one of the happiest times of his life and certainly the highlight of his education.

“Honestly, this was by far the best part,” he said in a speech years later. ‘I had knocked off the Pommy pieces. Like chips off an old block.’

Is it premature to announce a visit so soon after a cancer diagnosis?

Maybe there was no choice. Planning a tour can take many months, involving multiple state and territory groups.

It could even tie in with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October.

Whatever the case, it was probably only a matter of time before news of a visit leaked out.

No doubt the King is also keen to send out positive news, while strengthening the relationship with a nation that has stood side by side with Britain through wars, disasters and hotly contested sporting competitions.

Charles might even want to match his mother’s tally of 16 tours Down Under. So far he has visited fifteen times.

In terms of his itinerary, Victoria – the state where he enjoyed his time in Geelong – will likely feature, not only because he hasn’t been there since 2012, but also because illness, especially in later life, tends to think about voting.

Tasmania can also beckon with its beautiful scenery, sustainability projects and food culture. The cooler temperatures there would likely suit the queen, who struggled in the 40-degree heat during the couple’s 2018 visit to Queensland and the Northern Territory.

As for how they will be greeted, interest in the royal family remains high.

The Australian Women’s Weekly continues to publish detailed articles on the royal family and Sky News, which usually focuses on news and commentary, added a new weekly show, The Royal Report, early last year.

In the newsroom, the ranking of top-rated stories usually includes royal news in the top five.

Boisterous Australia has long offered what the royals crave: freedom from conformity, an easy-going outdoor lifestyle, egalitarian social networks and wide open spaces to exhale and reevaluate.

It is the place where Lady Diana Spencer secretly hid in 1981 when she was considering Prince Charles’ marriage proposal.

It’s where Prince Harry spent time as a jackaroo at the age of 19.

As he said in Spare, he enjoyed collecting cows. They were creatures that needed their space, he noted. Just like him.

It is also a special place for the Tindalls.

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara met rugby-playing husband Mike at the Manly Wharf Bar in 2003 when he was drowning his sorrows after being dropped from the England squad before the World Cup semi-final.

The Tindalls have become regular – and welcome – visitors. When it comes to rugby, it seems daughter Mia is supporting the Wallabies and not England

This is a big moment for the British monarchy, but also for the British nation – and Australia. After all, family counts for something.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are putting off Americans with their ‘endless moans’ and ‘attacks’ on the Royal Family, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dramatically moved across the pond after quitting as senior royals and leaving Britain in January 2020.

While attempting to start a new life in the US, the couple have starred in a Netflix docuseries, launched a controversial new website, released a book and held explosive interviews about the Royal Family.

In a bid to branch out to the celebrity world, the Sussexes are often seen making appearances at glitzy events, including the ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ premiere in Jamaica in January.

But they were branded ‘insensitive’ for posing on the red carpet with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who wants to ditch the monarchy.

Last month, Harry said King Charles’s cancer diagnosis could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the family. He made a transatlantic dash to see his father at Clarence House on February 6 but they only met for around 45 minutes.

There had been reports that Harry was willing to return to a temporary royal role to help out the slimmed down monarchy, with Princess Kate also recovering from abdominal surgery. But palace aides later said there was ‘no way back’ for Harry.

Speaking about Harry and Meghan’s time since leaving Britain, royal author Angela Levin said even Americans are getting fed up with the couple’s ‘hypocrisy’ and whinging.

She told The Sun: ‘I think endless moaning puts off Americans because they like people who are go-getters rather than those who blame everyone else. 

‘They also don’t like the attacks on the Royal Family especially as they so loved and admired the Queen.’

Their unpopularity was made clear when they were mocked and humiliated in an episode of South Park last year.

The satirical cartoon launched a series of attacks against the couple in an episode of the show, which was entitled The Worldwide Privacy Tour and depicted the couple embarking on a publicity blitz to promote the Prince’s new book, Waaagh.

At one point, they were seen stepping off the plane holding signs which said ‘we want our privacy’ and ‘stop looking at us’. 

After the show aired, reports surfaced suggesting that Meghan had been left ‘upset and overwhelmed’ by the couple’s less-than-flattering portrayal.

Ms Levin added: ‘Nor do [Americans] like their hypocrisy as seen in South Park – they say they want privacy but they keep appearing at Z-Level awards just to get their pictures.

‘By wanting revenge they have thrown their changes down the drain. With no coming back.’

Although the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals in January 2020, Harry is still a prince and is fifth in line to the throne. The couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles but are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH).

Harry and Meghan’s children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex when Charles became King. 

The duke and duchess have made several public appearances in recent weeks, the latest of which saw Meghan appearing via video link in London to open a new wing of an animal charity.

That came after she made dumplings with Afghan female refugees earlier in February, before a clip of the visit was posted on the Archewell Foundation website on Monday.

Harry meanwhile gave a series of American media interviews following the launch of the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, Vancouver, before he and Meghan attended a lavish gala dinner. He also made a surprise appearance at the NFL awards in LA, less than 48 hours after visiting his father in London. 

Ms Levin’s comments come days after Prince Harry lost his High Court battle against the Home Office.

Harry took the Home Office to court over no longer being given the ‘same degree’ of protection after he and wife Meghan quit royal life and left Britain.

He compared the dangers to him and his family to the risks his mother Princess Diana faced before her death in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

It also emerged in the 52-page ruling this week that he had demanded to know who in government was responsible for the decision, saying: ‘I would like that person’s name.’

He complained his visits to Britain were unsafe – and Judge Sir Peter Lane said that when he and Meghan used a train to visit Manchester in September 2022, he ‘raised concerns because of his proximity to the public’. 

Harry had argued that, just because he was no longer a frontline royal, that did not diminish the threats he faced by virtue of being in the line of succession to the throne and ‘a Prince of the realm’.

It is the latest court blow to Harry after he admitted defeat last month in a libel case against The Mail on Sunday over articles it had published about his battle with the Home Office.

The Duke was left facing a £750,000 legal bill after abandoning his case just six hours before a deadline for handing over a list of documents.

This latest High Court challenge against the Home Office could land him with an estimated £1million bill on top of that.

It comes as a poll carried out by Newsweek revealed only 30 per cent of Americans like Meghan, while Harry was liked by at least 42 per cent.

Despite asking for privacy, the couple have released Netflix shows and books about their lives. 

The Sussexes’ six-part documentary ‘Harry and Meghan’ was their first Netflix release in December 2022 and featured a series of swipes at the Royal Family. 

Harry said he ‘had to quit’ royal duties to protect his wife and compared her to Princess Diana. Meghan, meanwhile, said she was shocked at the formality of the Royal Family and joked about bowing for the first time when she met the Queen.

Three weeks after the documentary, the Sussexes released their second Netflix production, ‘Live to Lead’, which was about global leaders who have fought for social justice.

Then in August last year, Harry released his latest series, Heart of Invictus, which featured athletes preparing for the 2022 edition of the games and saw him open up about his mental health struggles after returning from military duty in Afghanistan.

Also last August, Netflix paid £3million for the film rights to Carley Fortune’s romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake which Harry and Meghan will produce.

But last May, Netflix dropped Meghan’s planned animated series Pearl as part of a wave of cutbacks prompted by the streaming service’s drop in subscribers.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Harry and Meghan were working on ‘a bunch’ of new Netflix projects including a film and two other ‘unscripted’ projects.

But there has been uncertainty over whether the deal will be renewed next year, especially after their £15million Spotify contract ended early in June last year.

 Spotify and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together’.

A top Spotify podcast executive then called Prince Harry and Meghan ‘f***ing grifters’ after they produced only one 13-episode series of a podcast for the company, and then split.

Elsewhere, the Duke also threw around many accusations of the Royal Family in his book Spare, along with alleging that he had a physical fight with his brother and heir to the throne, Prince William. 

He claimed the Prince of Wales grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor, while shattering a dog bowl with his back. William then allegedly declared: ‘I didn’t attack you, Harold’.

The furious row allegedly broke out in the kitchen of his London home, Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2019 – shortly before Megxit.

He also called his mother-in-law, Queen Camilla, ‘dangerous’ and a ‘villain’ in his memoir and alleged she had ‘sacrificed him’ to improve her reputation.

At the end of 2022, Harry and Meghan’s docuseries came out, where Prince Harry claimed they had to quit royal duties to ‘protect’ his wife and said there was a ‘huge level of unconscious bias’ in the Royal Family.

He claimed that the pair made the docuseries to combat so-called ‘misinformation’ about them.

In March 2021, the Sussexes appeared on Oprah following ‘Megxit’ and alleged that some members of the royal family questioned ‘how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born’.

Meghan also told Oprah that her and Kate that there was a disagreement before the Wedding, but alleged that the future Queen actually made her cry, rather than the other way round.

Harry told the host that the pair left the Firm because of ‘lack of support and lack of understanding,’ and claimed that his father, Charles, had ‘stopped taking his calls’.

In his latest olive branch interview with Good Morning America, during his trip to Whistler, Canada, last month, Harry said that his father’s illness could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the family.

Harry also said ‘I love my family’ and that he was ‘grateful’ to be able to spend time with his father when he flew back to the UK to be at the King’s side.

The couple also came under fire for the relaunch of their website, Sussex.com, last month.

It features Meghan’s coat of arms and glowing biographies for the couple, as well as the latest news about the pair.

Many close to the royal household believe it is a flagrant breach of the supposedly cast-iron assurances Harry and Meghan gave the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit as working royals in 2020, and comes perilously close to using their royal status for commercial gain.

 Following the so-called ‘Sandringham summit’ in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex agreed to step back from royal duties and not use their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections.

They were also forced to put on ice their existing website, Sussexroyal.com, which had been launched weeks earlier without any warning and effectively contained their ‘manifesto’ for a new life half-in, half-out of the royal family. Since then they have traded under their new guise of Archewell.

The couple’s decision to launch Sussex.com this week was therefore seen as reopening old wounds.

A video has emerged of Meghan Markle cooking traditional Afghan food with a group of 15 women who resettled in the US from Afghanistan.

The Duchess of Sussex created The Welcome Project in 2023 as part of her work with the Archewell Foundation, which she set up together with Prince Harry.

Archewell previously revealed how Meghan had joined the Southern California Welcome Project for an ‘evening of cooking and storytelling’ on February 10.

Now, a clip has now been posted on the Archewell Foundation website of the visit, which shows the Duchess wearing an apron branded with her organisation’s name.

Meghan, 42, was filmed joining the group of women cooking traditional Afghan food including Ashak and Mantuu, which are both types of dumpling.

It comes just days after the Duchess appeared in London via video link to open a new wing of an animal charity named in honour of her late friend Oli Juste – with the announcement of her virtual visit made via her and Harry’s new Sussex.com website.

And the remote charity appearance came shortly after Prince Harry was reported to have expressed an interest in returning to the royal fold in order to help his father, King Charles III, while the monarch is treated for cancer. 

An Archewell press release on Meghan’s Welcome Project visit said the women then discussed ‘their personal stories and the support they find from this intergenerational group of women’.

The visit was in partnership with Mina’s List, an organisation based in New York which has worked with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan since 2014.

Archewell said that in 2021, Mina’s List helped evacuate and resettle over 2,000 Afghan women and families ‘through independent and coalition efforts’ – many of whom resettled in Southern California.

Mina’s List and Archewell then ‘joined forces to provide community and support to these remarkable women as they begin to rebuild their lives in the US’.

Meghan is said to have been inspired to set up the project following her work with the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London in 2017 which was organised by a group of survivors from the Grenfell Tower fire.

Archewell states that the project was launched to create ‘a safe haven and inclusive environment for women who have recently resettled in the US from Afghanistan’.

It adds that the project has ‘a belief in the power of connection and a goal of uplifting communities’, and ‘supports the creation of programming for women who have recently resettled from Afghanistan’.

There are said to be 11 active Welcome Projects across the US ‘designed to foster a sense of belonging through activities including sewing, art, hiking, swimming, photography, storytelling, and cooking’.

Archewell also says: ‘By facilitating women-based programming, The Welcome Project also brings access to critical resources and opportunities that not only supports the women participating in The Welcome Project, but also improves the lives of those around them – their families and their communities.’

The video is located in the ‘programs’ section of the Archewell Foundation website – which is different to the new Sussex.com website that launched earlier this month.

It came days after Meghan appeared in London via video link to open a new wing of an animal charity named in honour of her late friend Oli Juste – with the announcement of her virtual visit also made via her and Harry’s glossy new Sussex.com website.

The Duchess of Sussex emotionally told how dog trainer Mr Juste’s sudden death in January 2022 left her heartbroken as his friends and family gathered at the Mayhew in the north-west of the capital, where the Oli Juste wing was unveiled in his name.

A photo shared on Harry and Meghan’s new website – the subject of controversy because of the prominence of its royal branding – showed a beaming Duchess in a beige coat crouching down and petting a dog.

Meghan had been patron of The Mayhew, said to be her favourite animal charity, since 2019, holding the role in a private capacity after being introduced to it by friend Mr Juste.

But she stepped down from the role in 2022, one year after she and Harry moved to California.

In the video message watched by Mr Juste’s friends and family, Meghan said: ‘A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful team at Mayhew who have worked tirelessly to bring this dream to life.

‘It was so important to find a way to celebrate Oli’s memory in a manner that he would have loved.

‘Mayhew is a beacon of hope for those in need and a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together.’

A statement on Sussex.com recounted the duchess’ bond with Mr Juste, saying: ‘They shared many things throughout their friendship, among which was a deep commitment to animal welfare and a love of rescue dogs.’

It added: ‘The Oli Juste Wing is a testament to his unwavering love and commitment to our furry friends, and will improve the lives of countless animals, reminding us all of the power of compassion, connection, and care.’

The remote charity appearance comes days after Prince Harry was reported to have expressed an interest in returning to the royal fold in order to help his father, King Charles III, while the monarch is treated for cancer.

Buckingham Palace announced that His Majesty was undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of the disease on Monday February 5; it had been discovered while the King was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

A day later, Harry flew to the UK for a very short visit with his father, who continues to carry out his constitutional duties but has stepped back from public appearances.

Since then, reports suggest the Duke of Sussex has expressed an interest among friends to take up a temporary role as a senior royal while his father continues to receive medical care. 

The Times earlier reported that Harry and Charles had shared several ‘warm exchanges’ following the King’s diagnosis and his 30-minute visit to Clarence House.

A source told the paper: ‘On all practical levels it makes perfect sense for the family to come together to support the King while he’s sick. 

‘Much has been said on both sides in recent years, but that has never diminished the fundamental bond of blood, and there are now pragmatic aspects to consider, with the King and Kate’s wellbeing ­paramount in this.

‘The details of the Clarence House meeting and subsequent conversations are private, but the feeling is that this arrangement could work.’

But royal experts believe that an invite from the palace will not be immediately forthcoming – given previous disparaging comments made by the Duke in a series of interviews and throughout his memoir, Spare. 

Dickie Arbiter, Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, told MailOnline that any expectation of welcoming Harry back into the fold was ‘a big ask’ after his previous comments and allegations.

He said: ‘He (Harry) has rubbished them for four years. I don’t see a forthcoming invitation from the family (to come back). You have got to remember the late Queen made it very clear either you are in or you are out. 

Harry has recently made positive comments in American media interviews following the launch of the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, Vancouver in Canada.

He told Good Morning America (GMA) his father’s illness could have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the family, adding: ‘I love my family’.

But Mr Arbiter said attempts at reconciliation may have come too late.

‘I can’t see it going anywhere. Harry did suggest in the (GMA) interview it could result in a reconciliation, but it is not much different to the comment he made almost two years ago when he dropped in on the Queen and told the Today show (on NBC) he was just making sure she was protected and had the right people around her.

‘He is good at the soundbite but this whole Whistler trip seems like a great big PR fest off the back of launching their website.’

Earlier this month the royal couple took a tour to Vancouver, Canada, in preparation for the 2025 Winter Invictus Games, ending it with a lavish gala dinner with 200 guests. 

Meghan burst into laughter as Michael Bublé sang an alternative version of Frank Sinatra’s My Way at the Sussexes’ Invictus Games send off – including telling Prince Harry ‘I think we know to stay the hell out of your way’. 

Harry, wearing a dark suit and a black tie, then spoke about the Invictus Games telling the audience that the athletes, who are comprised of injured and sick servicemen and women, embodied ‘courage, leadership, and fortitude.’ 

Meghan and Harry had been expected to head home to Montecito, California following three days of Invictus Games events in Whistler and Vancouver but extended their trip by a night to enjoy a party with athletes and organisers.

Although not part of the official schedule and intended to be held away from the media, the gala at the Vancouver Convention Centre was signposted with black and gold Invictus signs.

The Duchess of Sussex’s sartorial reputation is built on elegant and timeless outfits and she was back on track as she visited British Columbia to publicize the 2025 Invictus Games, which take place a year from now.

Bringing her relaxed yet polished style to the Canadian mountains, Meghan provided a lesson in the art of accessories, pairing designer pieces with everyday basics.

She remained timeless yet modern – and anything but boring.

From delicate gold jewelry and dazzling diamonds to cult it-bags and classic footwear, the Duchess of Sussex added individuality to her impeccable style, often wearing statement-making pieces with subtle yet powerful messages through brands that support causes that matter to her. Dear to one.

Whether it’s historic family treasures like Princess Diana’s prized Cartier watch or staying true to her roots as an American girl with socially conscious jewelry brand Shiffon, Meghan mixed her luxury jewelry with affordable knits and an array of ready-made boots for the snow, delivering a masterclass in effortless elegance. .

Snow queen

Meghan stepped out for the start of the Invictus Games One Year to Go event at a winter training camp in Whistler and went for black and white.

She paired her white Calvin Klein puffer coat with £195 Sorel ‘Joan of Arctic’ boots, £58 Blenders ‘Grove’ sunglasses and a £320 Burberry pom hat.

The cozy look was finished off with her £479 Shiffon Duet Pinky Ring and the late Princess Diana’s £18,000 Cartier Française Tank watch.

Valentine Red

Meghan was spotted on what appeared to be a Valentine’s night out, dressing in romantic shades of red.

Her £2,250 Valentino ‘V-Ring’ crossbody bag gave a subtle hint to the romantic occasion and perfectly complemented her Loro Piana cape coat. To support one of her female empowerment platforms, she wore her favorite £479 ‘Duet Pinky Ring’ from Shiffon, which aims to close the gender pay gap by donating profits to female founders.

Preppy perfection

When the Duchess of Sussex was welcomed to the Mount Currie Community Centre, she used her accessories to take a simple Giorgio Armani coat to the next level.

Sporting a pair of £280 Le Chameau ‘Jameson’ boots, first spotted on Meghan in 2020, the quilted print and luxurious leather put a fashionable twist on the humble wellington boot.

She completed the preppy ensemble with her French Tank watch, £7,050 Love bracelet and £4,365 Diamond Hex tennis bracelet from Hollywood publicist-jeweler Ariel Gordon.

High-low out of service

Visiting the Whistler Sliding Center, Meghan turned to Canadian store Aritzia for her £44 Babaton cashmere hat and £38 Sunday Best scarf along with £58 Blenders ‘Grove’ sunglasses, pairing the affordable pieces with a reversible Hermès bomber jacket .

In a nod to the host country, she chose a £100 pair of Sienna boots from Canadian brand Kamik and piled on the stunning £3,900 Snowflake, £1,800 Bee Chic and £1,090 Splash diamond rings from luxury Canadian jeweler Birks, which is a credit to its sustainable practices. A £180 black padded Bottega Veneta phone case completed the look.

Sophisticated neutral colors

Showing the value of investment pieces, the Duchess of Sussex recycled a pair of Maxmara suede gloves worth £215, first worn in 2019.

They added a touch of luxury to her Sentaler cape as they joined families of Canadian Armed Forces veterans.

A sophisticated pair of £963 Co black leather riding boots were a practical choice, while a gold sheen with her £250 Anine Bing ‘Double Cross’ earrings was the perfect finishing touch.

Meghan Markle once told a business consultant that she had “legs a mile long” and wanted to show them off as commercially as possible.

That’s not her only strong point, as last week’s photos from the Canadian ski resort Whistler showed again.

Don’t forget the all-American smile and careful dress sense, it’s Meghan’s hair that could be described as her ‘crowning glory’, even though the Duchess is no longer a working royal.

Admirers raved about the immaculately manicured auburn locks on display, including Meghan’s ‘hairdresser to the stars’, Kadi Lee of the Highbrow Hippie salon.

Color expert Lee revealed on Instagram that the Duchess’s new styling was thanks to a “mix of red and gold undertones” and “a next-level bold shine.”

If Meghan’s hair has been a lifelong obsession — as it is for many women — there’s one “secret” that hasn’t filtered through to social media until now.

That’s the moving role of her father, Thomas Markle, who told me he would sometimes get up at 5 a.m. to help his young daughter smooth her hair with a hair straightener so it looked exactly the way she wanted.

“If she wanted to straighten her hair, it would take her hours to get to school,” he recalls.

“But it was something I did voluntarily.”

Tom, 79, once made a living as an Emmy-winning lighting director in Hollywood, but turned to amateur hairdressing when Meghan came to live with him after the breakdown of his marriage.

The Duchess has not spoken to her father since he suffered two heart attacks on the eve of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and was unable to walk her down the aisle.

Tom says he was shocked to discover that his daughter’s hair exposed Meghan to racism from an early age.

While on vacation, father and daughter were driving across the United States from their home in Los Angeles to Florida when they stopped in rural Texas and tried to find a salon to wash and straighten Meghan’s naturally curly hair.

“We tried several, but no one would take us in because I was a white man with a mixed-race child,” he said.

When Meghan became a teenager, she learned how to do her own hair and makeup – helped by spending time on set and in the studios with her lighting director father.

Tom recalls how Meghan studied and learned from the professionals who worked on popular American shows including General Hospital and Married with Children.

It was when she broke through as an actress and became a Hollywood star – most famous as ‘suitcase girl’ on the Deal Or No Deal show – that Meghan adopted the signature glossy look we recognize today, using specialist treatments to to smooth and strengthen. hair from damage.

As she explained in 2011, there is quite a bit of work and expense involved.

“My mother is black and my father is Dutch and Irish, so the texture of my hair is densely curled,” she said. ‘I’ve been suffering from Brazilian breakouts for a few years now.’

A Brazilian blowout is a semi-permanent strengthening treatment that uses keratin (an important protein in hair and nails) to penetrate the hair cuticle and smooth the hair shaft.

Results last up to four months, but some salons in Los Angeles charge more than £400 ($500) per treatment.

Described by her stylist as “a dynamic brunette,” Meghan’s latest hairstyle was shown off by skinny white jeans, a $675 (£530) white cashmere sweater and an off-white quilted coat when she last appeared for the cameras appeared. week.

The Duke and Duchess were in Canada to promote the next Invictus Games in a year’s time, hosted by Whistler.

The games were created for sick and injured soldiers and were founded by Prince Harry, who organized the first event in 2014. Next year the introduction of winter sports will take place for the first time.

During a visit to a training camp, the couple met athletes hoping to compete next year and the prince was pictured ‘ski-sitting’, joking: ‘do I have to sign a waiver?’

If Harry got the lead role, Meghan’s hair – praised for its new, reddish hue – took second place.

“This is the most beautiful hair I’ve ever looked like!” said one fan commenting on the Instagram page of LA-based Highbrow Hippie salon – a favorite of Julia Roberts.

“Absolutely beautiful,” said another. ‘So shiny and healthy. GOALS.’

Meghan still styles her own hair when necessary, often sweeping it back into a chic ‘ballerina bun’. It is also speculated that she uses high quality hair extensions to add length and volume on special occasions.

In this, as in many other matters, she has become quite an expert.

As one source put it, “Meghan can do her own hair and makeup at a professional level because, like anything she puts her mind to, she practiced and practiced until she was perfect.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle linking their new Sussex.com site back to their old domain SussexRoyal.com was today branded ‘extremely strange’ and an ‘aberration’.

The Duke and Duchess were told by the late Queen Elizabeth II and senior officials to drop their ‘Sussex Royal’ label in February 2020 after quitting as working royals.

But the SussexRoyal.com site is still live four years later, with a disclaimer stating that it ‘sets out the work streams’ of Harry and Meghan ‘prior to their move’ to the US.

Now, the couple’s glitzy Sussex.com website has a link at the bottom under the logo ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’, which directs users back to SussexRoyal.com.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline today that it ‘makes no sense to include a name they can’t use, adding: ‘It is something of an aberration.’

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede added that the connection ‘creates a blurred line between the past and the present which may cause confusion’, but had a function of ‘reminding people of their work when they were working royals’. He also joked that traffic ‘will come from tourists thinking they are searching for the best places for fish and chips in the county of Sussex rather than the office of the Duke and Duchess’.

On the new website, there appears to be no mention of ‘serving the monarchy’ – a phrase which remains prominent on SussexRoyal.com, which was launched in 2020. 

Meanwhile it was also revealed today that Sussex.com uses Meghan’s coat of arms approved by Elizabeth II when she became Duchess upon her wedding in May 2018. 

Meghan worked with the College of Arms to design the coat of arms which aimed to represent her personally and her American roots, before the Queen signed off on it.

The coat of arms on Sussex.com is Meghan’s impaled with – meaning it is placed side by side on the same shield – Harry’s. MailOnline believes it is therefore not unusual that there is no image of Harry’s coat of arms, granted in September 2002.

Today, royal observers also noticed that Meghan’s biography on Sussex.com was 220 words longer than Harry’s – at 558 words compared to 338.

The Duke and Duchess replaced their Archewell webpage last night with a site called Sussex.com that includes their biographies and recent activities.

The website for ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ features glowing descriptions about the work of both Harry and Meghan.

But there is no reference in their biographies about any of their links to the Royal Family – with Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, described as a ‘humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmental campaigner’.

And Meghan, whose Spotify podcast, acting career and lifestyle blog The Tig are all referenced, is hailed as a ‘feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity’.

It comes as sources warned use of their Sussex title and royal crest for what appeared to be commercial purposes could provoke complaints from Buckingham Palace.

Today, experts pointed out that the website launch comes just a week after it was revealed King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer, and Kate Middleton continues her recuperation at home following abdominal surgery.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘The Sussexes have a curious sense of timing. The question is not whether it is their right to launch a new website Sussexes.com with their coat of arms and using their royal titles, but the extraordinary timing.

‘Only a week ago Harry was visiting his father who, as we know, is fighting cancer. The Royal Family is therefore much in the news with the Princess of Wales recuperating from what appears to be a serious illness.

‘As members of the Royal Family, having stepped down from royal duties, it would surely be more sensitive and more sensible to leave their rebrand until later in the year.

‘The bizarre aspect of this is that although that is likely to be the way the world perceives it, they apparently cannot see that this is spectacularly ill-timed.’

Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – flew to the UK last Tuesday to meet with his father following his diagnosis.

He made the visit without Meghan and their children less than 24 hours after the announcement about Charles’s health was made to the nation by Buckingham Palace.

But there was no meeting with his brother, the Prince of Wales, after Harry spent around 45 minutes at Clarence House seeing Charles.

Speaking about how the website states the couple are ‘shaping the future through business and philanthropy’, Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘We are waiting for some new ideas which don’t involve monetising their royal connections for gain as they so brutally did on Oprah and in Harry’s memoir Spare.

‘It is worth bearing in mind that the Invictus Games, as well as Harry’s WellChild and Sentebale charitable commitments, were all created by Harry before their marriage.

He also spoke about how the website links back to the SussexRoyal.com domain – despite the couple being told in 2020 that they had to drop their ‘Sussex Royal’ label after deciding to step down as working royals.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that Queen Elizabeth II and senior officials were believed to have agreed it was no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word ‘royal’ in their ‘branding’.

Harry and Meghan first began using the Sussex Royal branding in 2019 after they split their household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – known as Kensington Royal.

And Mr Fitzwilliams said ‘The late Queen forbade them to use Sussex Royal. To include it in this website seems extremely strange. It makes no sense to include a name they can’t use. It is something of an aberration.’

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede also spoke about the new Sussex.com website today, joking that it was a ‘great way for the Sussexes to centralise their brands and businesses, however I think a lot of traffic will come from tourists thinking they are searching for the best places for fish and chips in the county of Sussex rather than the office of the Duke and Duchess’.

He added that it was a ‘really good idea to create a website like this and build their brand and highlight their achievements in this manner’, and it would be a ‘very good way for people to see what they are doing and all the great purpose driven work they have dedicated themselves too’.

Mr Ede said he has maintained that this year is ‘a year for them to build their brand and cement their status so with the Invictus Games and more from Meghan in the lifestyle sphere coming imminently they have done the right thing and created this strong brand identity’.

He continued: ‘Lots of businesses rebrand themselves as they progress and this development feels like a good way of informing their supporters of what they doing and how they are shaping theirs and other’s futures.’

Speaking about the link back to SussexRoyal.com, Mr Ede said it was a ‘way of establishing their history pre and post leaving the UK and it’s a way of reminding people of their work when they were working royals’.

He added: ‘They did the job and they are entitled to show what their achievements were but it still creates a blurred line between the past and the present which may cause confusion.’

Mr Ede also spoke about why he thought Meghan’s biography was more than 200 words longer than Harry’s.

He said: ‘I think Meghan is the one who has to establish herself more than Harry in this new era.

‘We know his passion is for Invictus and he seems to be concentrating on that and developing it into an even bigger enterprise.

‘But we still are not 100 per cent sure where Meghan is going to drive her passions and skills yet – whether this is as a brand ambassador, producer, writer or philanthropist or all of them.

‘It’s her time to assert who she is and so her biography is longer to add more weight to who she is and what she has done.’

The Duke and Duchess have found themselves at the centre of a row after being accused of using their title and crest for what appeared to be commercial purposes after replacing their Archewell webpage with Sussex.com. 

The launch of the new website, which went live yesterday evening, fuelled speculation that they are trying to reinvigorate their media careers. 

But a source close to the couple brushed off the claims and defended the use of their royal titles. 

They said: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’

There appeared to be no mention of the the phrase ‘serving the monarchy’ – which was prominent on their previous website SussexRoyal.com, launched in 2020. 

Meanwhile, others warned that the webpage, which includes biographies about the pair and lists their recent activities, could provoke complaints from the Palace.

One source said: ‘They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.’

In addition to Sussex.com and SussexRoyal.com, the couple also have websites for Archewell Productions (archewellproductions.com) and Archewell Foundation (archewell.org). The former Archewell.com website now redirects to Sussex.com.

The new homepage for ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ went live yesterday evening. 

It features glowing biographies for both Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, as well as the latest news about the pair.

The Duke is described as a ‘humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmental campaigner’. 

His wife Meghan is hailed as a ‘feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity’.

The Sussexes’ online rebranding comes amid speculation that they may be seeking new production companies to work with. 

Their £18million deal with Spotify recently came to an end, and there have been rumours that streaming giant Netflix may not renew its £80million contract with them.

The website is operated by ‘The Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ and is a ‘one-stop shop’ for all their activities. 

It comes ahead of the couple’s trip to Canada for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go celebrations.

During the event, which will take place between Wednesday and Friday this week, Prince Harry is expected to make a speech where he will tell how special the country is to him and wife Meghan.

Harry will tell crowds of his fond memories of their time spent on Vancouver Island after leaving their official royal duties in 2019, according to The Telegraph. 

The couple are said to have relished their time there while being free from the presence of the media and pressures of royal life.  

The Duke has previously spoken about how Canada felt like home to him and that ‘we (him and Meghan) could imagine spending the rest of our lives there’.  

Sussex.com is minimalistic by design and features a large photograph of the couple on the home page.

It has links to the Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions website, as well as the controversial sussexroyal.com website launched in 2020 to coincide with their decision to step back as working royals. 

It is thought the Duke and Duchess will use the site to share their personal and official updates, keeping people informed through the ‘News’ section.

Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.

‘This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’

There is also a page dedicated to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, detailing their backgrounds and achievements.

Prince Harry’s biography references his 10-years served in the British Armed Forces and as a New York Times bestselling author of Spare, ‘a memoir of his life told with compassion, vulnerability and unflinching honesty’.

It also says he has ‘dedicated his adult life to advancing causes that he is passionate about and that advance permanent change for people and places’.

The profile states that he founded the Invictus Games Foundation, describing it as a ‘globally celebrated display of resilience, community and athleticism that has won acclaim for its impact in celebrating those that serve’.

Harry is also stated as the ‘founder and/or patron of a number of global charities and organisations’ including Travalyst, Senebale and WellChild, and that he sits on the board of African Parks.

His appointment in 2021 as ‘chief impact officer’ at coaching firm BetterUp is also cited, as well as how he served on the Aspen Institute Commission on Information Disorder.

Referring to the Archewell Foundation, it says he co-founded this alongside Meghan ‘to serve communities in need’, adding: ‘The Duke and Duchess are committed to their mission: Show Up, Do Good.

‘They hold the value that charitable work should not simply be ‘a handout, but rather a hand held’.’

The Duke is also listed as living in California ‘with his wife Meghan, and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’.

Meghan’s biography refers to her advocacy work, her career in the entertainment industry as a lead role in the TV series ‘Suits’ and as a NY Times bestselling author of children’s book ‘The Bench’ and ‘Together: Our Community Kitchen’. 

Her biography also includes the line: ‘They are committed to their mission: Show Up, Do Good.’.

It adds: ‘They hold the value that charitable work should not simply be ‘a handout, but rather a hand held’, a phrase Meghan first adopted in supporting UK charity Smart Works, of which she is patron, that supports women to enter the workforce.’

The Archewell Foundation is said to have been set up by the Duke and Duchess to ‘build meaningful initiatives’ and ‘drive long-term change’. 

Archewell Productions was founded in 2020 and is said to be ‘dedicated to illuminating thought-provoking and diverse narratives that underscore our common humanity and celebrate community.’

The biography states that her ‘lifelong advocacy for women and girls remains a constant thread in her humanitarian and business ventures’.

Meghan is also cited as having been ‘named one of the most influential women in the world in rankings including Time Magazine’s Most Influential People, The Financial Times’ 25 Most Influential Women, Variety Power of Women, and British Vogue’s Vogue 25.’

The biography says her ‘advocacy work on resilience, equality, and compassion through action has been recognized – alongside that of her husband, Prince Harry – with the NAACP President’s Award as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award’.

The Duchess is listed as having been ‘born and raised in Southern California’, before attending ‘Los Angeles based all-girls Catholic School, Immaculate Heart, which she continues to support as an alumna, before moving to Chicago to attend Northwestern University’.

It says that while there, she ‘double majored in Theater and International Relations, and went on to intern at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as to study abroad in Madrid, Spain’.

The biography adds that after graduation, Meghan ‘turned her focus to the entertainment industry, later securing a lead role on the hit series, ‘Suits’ which she starred in for seven seasons’.

It also states that ‘between filming, Meghan travelled to Rwanda, India, and other countries to support humanitarian missions’ – and she ‘served in key roles such as: UN Women’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership, a World Vision Global Ambassador, and a leading Counsellor to One Young World. Meghan also travelled to support the military community on a USO Tour, visiting six military bases in seven days including Bagram, Afghanistan’.

The profile goes on to state that in 2018, ‘Meghan married Prince Harry, becoming The Duchess of Sussex’.

She is said to have ‘written for a number of publications and created the lifestyle website, ‘The Tig’ – and ‘guest edited British Vogue in July 2019, which was the fastest selling copy in the magazine’s history’.

Meghan is listed as having launched ‘Archetypes’ in 2022, which is described as a ‘record-breaking podcast exploring the labels that hold women back’.

It states that Archetypes ‘debuted at Number 1’ in the US, UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and was the ‘Number 1 podcast’ in 47 countries.

It says that after its first season, Archetypes was awarded The People’s Choice Award in the podcast category, as well as The Gracie Award for Best Podcast.

Meghan is also described as a ‘NY Times Best Selling author, publishing the acclaimed children’s book, ‘The Bench’, and ‘Together: Our Community Kitchen’ a collaborative publication with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen in the UK, who were displaced after the tragic Grenfell Fire’.

The Duchess is said to be ‘a major advocate for mental health, family care, and gender equity’. The biography also says she ‘hopes to be a cultural catalyst for positive change, reflecting her core belief that representation matters, and that communities can be enhanced through learning, healing, and inspirational support’.

It also says Meghan ‘lives in California with her husband and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’.

Following the announcement of the King’s illness on Monday of last week, Harry flew to London from California where he lives with Meghan and their two children.

The Duke of Sussex took a commercial British Airways flight from Los Angeles arriving at Buckingham Palace at 2.42pm.

He then spent around 45 minutes chatting with his father, which is thought to be their first proper contact in 15 months.

It was their first formal meeting in person since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle joined 15 women who have resettled in the US from Afghanistan to cook traditional Afghan food over the weekend.

The Duchess of Sussex created The Welcome Project in 2023 together with the Archewell Foundation, which she set up together with Prince Harry.

The programme is supposed to create ‘a safe haven and inclusive environment for women who have recently resettled in the US from Afghanistan’, according to a press release by the Archewell Foundation.