The Art of the Slow Reveal

A Reflection on Meghan Markle’s ‘As Ever’ Announcement

Meghan Markle’s latest business move—renaming her lifestyle brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever—has sparked plenty of chatter. But beyond the name change itself, one of the biggest points of discussion has been the timing.

American Riviera Orchard itself was announced in March 2024, with nary an update to be seen until now. In her video announcement on Monday, Meghan mentioned that she had been sitting on the name As Ever since 2022. And in her Instagram caption, she teased, “Some of you may have heard whispers about what I’ve been creating”—drawing attention to the fact that this has been a long, drawn-out process.

Naturally, this led to more speculation. Some critics (ok, let’s be honest: haters) questioned why she waited so long to make things official. (Almost like they thrive on updates from Meghan…hmm….) If she’s had the name locked in for years, why not roll it out sooner? Was the rebrand a last-minute scramble? A response to backlash? A sign of hesitation? People love to read into every decision a public figure makes, especially when that figure is Meghan Markle.