Duchess of Sussex struggled with ‘self-doubt’ before launch of As Ever brand

Meghan Markle was worried about launching her lifestyle brand.

On the May 6 episode of her podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” the Duchess of Sussex said she went through “self-doubt” in creating As Ever after being under the “microscope” of the public spotlight.

“I made a phone call, I said, ‘Is this gonna work? Like, is this actually gonna work?’ But I had self-doubt,” the 43-year-old told Hanna Mendoza, founder of Clevr Blends.

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“You can’t bring self-doubt to your team that’s junior to you,” the mother of two admitted. “They have to believe in what you’re creating and the vision and how you hold the line. But you still have to be able to have someone you can go to, to be human, and say, ‘I don’t know. Can you just tell me that this makes sense?’’

Markle told Mendoza that her team had uplifted her when she questioned herself.

“Thankfully, my partner said, ‘Are you joking? We’re so energized, this is amazing!’” the “Suits” alum recalled. “I got into that same headspace that any of us can, because some might look at it and say, at least for me, it will have so much exposure.”

“Whatever I put out in the world, [it] will have so much attention,” she continued. “And there’s a flip side to that coin, which we know. It’s a microscope that a lot of people don’t have to experience.”

Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018. They stepped back as senior members in 2020 and moved to California.

Following the couple’s royal exit, Markle, who originally had a lifestyle blog called “The Tig,” wanted to become an entrepreneur, allowing the couple to be financially independent. In the podcast, she described leaning on her close friends while building As Ever.

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“The safety of stream of consciousness with someone who understands it… That is part of that sisterhood and that understanding of, ‘OK, every day is not going to be the same. Some days are going to be harder to show up as your best and shiniest self,’” she said.

It also helped to partner with Netflix.

“Netflix coming on as my business partner is huge,” said Markle. “Just having a global powerhouse that believed in me, and the site selling out in the first 45 minutes of launch – everything, every single piece that we had been working on.”

“That told me that customers — people — believed in me and this vision,” she shared. “That’s all you really want as a founder. That becomes your proof point that those late nights and the midnight musings are worth it.”

Markle faced several hiccups along her journey as an entrepreneur.

Last September, the mother of two suffered a professional setback when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused the application for American Riviera Orchard, the original name of the brand, The Telegraph reported. 

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According to the outlet, the office warned that businesses could not trademark geographical locations, noting that American Riviera was a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara, where Markle resides. The addition of the word “Orchard” made “little difference.”

The outlet also warned that the descriptions of the duchess’ products could fit into multiple trademark categories.

At the time, Markle’s team said the pushback was “routine and expected.” However, her issues did not end there.

Food and gift retailer Harry & David filed a protest against American Riviera Orchard in October, the New York Post reported. According to the outlet, they claimed that the name was too similar to their “Royal Riviera” product line.

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In November, the outlet reported that the “Suits” alum’s legal team requested a three-month extension in an attempt to secure a trademark. The U.K.’s Independent reported that the duchess attempted to trademark the brand over the summer. However, it was rejected due to issues with how it was filed.

In February, Markle announced on Instagram that she was renaming her brand to As Ever. 

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Previously on her podcast, Markle said she secured the name As Ever in 2022. She said “everything started to evolve” in 2023, especially when she partnered with Netflix on both the brand and her lifestyle series, “With Love, Meghan,” which showcased some of her products.

“It was just so interesting because, you remember, I said, ‘I like “American Riviera” as an umbrella and then to be able to have verticals beneath it and maybe have the “Orchard” really small,’” she said.

While the name “American Riviera Orchard” was first announced in March 2024, Markle said it quickly “became this word salad.”

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“I said, ‘OK, well, let’s go back to the thing that I’ve always loved. Let’s use the name that I had protected for a reason that had been sort of under wraps,’” she said.

“We were able to focus in the quiet and put our heads down and build on something that no one was sniffing around to even see about. It was just really, really helpful to have that quiet period.”

As Markle geared up to launch As Ever, her brand faced other woes.

Francisca “Xisca” Mora, the mayor of the Mallorcan town of Porreres in Spain, claimed to local outlets that the Duchess of Sussex’s brand logo for As Ever was “an exact copy” of their historic coat of arms.

“I would like to clarify that the Porreres Town Hall, which I represent, has no intention of taking legal action against Ms. Meghan Markle,” Mora told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We consider it to be an unfortunate coincidence.”

“The only thing we ask for is respect for our historical and cultural heritage, such as the emblem of Porreres — an image that identifies us as a town and is part of our local culture,” she added.

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At the time, Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the duchess for comment.

Fox News Digital learned that the logo was a nod to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home in California, where they are raising their two young children. Markle was also born in California. It is also understood that it was designed to create a personal emblem and that global searches for registered trademarks were conducted.

Following Markle’s announcement of As Ever, a New York City-based clothing line, also called As Ever, had to address the confusion over their names on social media.

“I want to say thank you to all the old friends who know and love our small family brand As Ever, and also say hi to all those that have just become aware we exist,” founder Mark Kolski wrote on Instagram.

“In the last 36 hours, there has been an outpouring of support and concern regarding recent events around our namesake brand,” the statement read. “We are aware. We are not affiliated.”

“We are grateful for all the customers coast to coast and worldwide that have supported our venture. We will continue As Ever,” the statement concluded.

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In a video announcing the rebranding, Markle mentioned she had secured the name As Ever in 2022.

Fox News Digital understands that As Ever will not be designing clothing.

“Last year, I had thought, ‘American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name.’ It’s my neighborhood; it’s a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area,” she explained in her Instagram video announcing the rebranding in February.

“Then Netflix came on, not just as my partner in the show, but as my partner in my business, which was huge. So, I thought about it, and I’ve been waiting for a moment to share a name that I had secured in 2022, and this is the moment, and it’s called As Ever.”

“As Ever essentially means as it’s always been, and if you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening — this is what I do,” she said. “And I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can, so as things are starting to trickle out there, I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.