When Meghan Markle announced the rebrand of her lifestyle venture from American Riviera Orchard to simply ‘As Ever’ in February 2025, she positioned it as a natural evolution — one prompted by Netflix‘s involvement and a desire to broaden her commercial ambitions beyond Santa Barbara. What she didn’t account for, it seems, was the internet’s long memory. Royal enthusiasts have now begun pointing out that the seemingly innocuous brand name carries rather significant historical baggage, and that baggage belongs squarely to King Charles.
The accusation has gained considerable traction on social media, with eagle-eyed royal watchers drawing parallels between Markle’s choice and the late king’s well-documented habit of signing correspondence with the very same phrase. Throughout his decades as Prince of Wales, Charles frequently closed his letters with ‘Yours Ever’ and ‘As Ever’ — a formality that was, as one commenter noted, ‘extremely popular in the Victorian era and predominantly used by boomers’. The observation raises an awkward question: was Markle’s brand name choice a coincidence, or something more deliberate?
‘As Ever’ Controversy: Coincidence or Calculated Move?
As Ever / Screenshot
The evidence presented by royal fans isn’t entirely circumstantial. One particularly detailed post on X, accompanied by historical examples of Charles’s correspondence, highlighted that the prince had employed this sign-off consistently with those he considered to have ‘an enduring friendship and loyalty’. The irony is not lost on observers — Markle, who has had a notoriously fractured relationship with the royal family, chose a phrase synonymous with the monarch’s most cherished personal relationships.
What makes the timing particularly curious is that this isn’t the first time Markle has used the phrase. In 2021, she signed copies of her children’s book, The Bench, with ‘As Ever’ — suggesting the phrase held some personal significance long before it became her brand’s cornerstone. Whether that earlier usage was merely sentimental or strategically planted remains a matter of debate amongst royal commentators.
The Rebranding Rationale
In the February 2025 Instagram video announcing the change, Markle explained her reasoning with apparent candour. ‘American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name, it’s my neighbourhood [and] it’s a name for Santa Barbara,’ she said, before acknowledging the limitations: ‘But it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area.’
The introduction of Netflix as both a production partner for her cooking show With Love, Meghan and a business collaborator marked a turning point. According to her account, this partnership opened avenues beyond her Californian locale, necessitating a name that could travel and expand. By all accounts, ‘As Ever’ was intended to signal permanence, reliability and perhaps a touch of timeless elegance — qualities any lifestyle brand would covet.
Yet the royal community’s interpretation has been rather less charitable. What Markle may have intended as a sophisticated, understated rebrand has instead been seized upon as evidence of either poor judgment or, according to more cynical observers, a deliberate attempt to appropriate the king’s personal branding.
Just last week, the company unveiled a limited-edition Valentine’s Day collection, released with characteristic urgency — the items went on sale within hours of announcement. It’s the kind of move that would ordinarily garner nothing more than passing notice in the lifestyle press. Now, however, each new product launch invites fresh scrutiny and speculation about Markle’s intentions.
Whether the choice of ‘As Ever’ was genuinely unconscious or strategically calculated may never be definitively established. What’s clear is that in the digital age, particularly for figures as scrutinised as the Duchess of Sussex, such details rarely escape notice. For Markle, the convergence of her brand name with the late King’s habits has become yet another flashpoint in an already tempestuous relationship with both the Royal Family and their devoted admirers.
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