Meghan Markle may have her eyes on the prize after she was pictured shooting her shot with PR legend Emma Grede.
The Duchess of Sussex, who launched her lifestyle brand As Ever earlier this year, attended an exclusive dinner thrown by Emma, the brains behind Kim Kardashian‘s Skims empire and Khloe Kardashian’s clothing line Good American, which honored women “owning their power” and supporting “each other get s–t done.”
Emma, 43, posted multiple photos and clips from the lavish event, captioning her Instagram post, “Not my typical Wednesday after work.” She then revealed behind-the-scenes moments from the night, including Meghan’s 2024 American Riviera Orchard Sauvignon Blanc being served throughout the event.
Meghan and Emma posed up a storm in their “power outfits” side by side before sitting together during the meal, sharing laughs and clinking their wine glasses in celebration.
The pair have connected before. Meghan featured on Emma’s podcast Aspire back in June, where she outlined the direction of her lifestyle brand while also taking subtle swipes at the royal family.
When it comes to what this move could mean for the duo, PR expert Chad Teixeira, weighed in, explaining, “Meghan’s decision to appear alongside Emma Grede is clearly more than a social outing, it signals a strategic repositioning.”
“On the positive side, aligning with Emma, who has helped build major direct-to-consumer brands, could lend Meghan credibility in the lifestyle and fashion space. Emma’s connections to the Kardashians and her track record in building “cool” consumer brands might mean Meghan may tap into a younger, trend-driven audience,” he added.
“However, on the risk side, Emma’s associations with the Kardashian ecosystem bring baggage as the Kardashian brand has its own polarization, and Meghan already has a high-profile public perception challenge,” Chad pointed out.
He went on to note, “UK polling continues to show her favourability is very low so any misstep in a new venture could reinforce narratives of Meghan being overly commercial or inauthentic.”
If rumors were true about how Emma could be helping Meghan with her expertise, Chad shared, “My view is that the move could be the launch of a lifestyle/beauty/fashion line (or an extension of her ‘As Ever’ brand) supported by Grede’s operations expertise and network. It’s smart, but it must be carefully framed.”
The PR expert then suggested, “My advice to Meghan is to lean into authenticity, emphasize values over hype. Use the collaboration to tell a story rooted in her mission rather than riding on celebrity alliances. Be transparent about what she can bring to the table beyond status, and take the time to rebuild trust by focusing on a few strong, high-integrity launches rather than a broad product splash.
“As for Emma Grede, I wouldn’t necessarily advise her to stay away, but I would advise caution. From Emma’s perspective, the upside is large, but given Meghan’s current public reputation, any partnership must have clearly defined roles, shared values, and a rigorous reputation-risk review.”
Chad concluded, “Emma must decide if the reputational lift is worth the potential strain. In short, yes collaborate, but with eyes wide open and a conservative runway for rollout.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
