Fans of the royal family have a new reason to laugh at Prince Harry’s wife. The Duchess, who is trying to position herself as a successful businesswoman, has once again found herself in hot water.
According to documents obtained by the aforementioned publication, Markle recently had her widely publicized brand registration denied. The reason for the denial was a violation of the rule that prevents trademark names from including geographic names or elements. As stated in the official rejection letter Meghan received from the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), the name of her brand—American Riviera Orchard—falls into this category. American Riviera is a well-known and commonly used term for the California coastline around Santa Barbara.
Moreover, the patent office pointed out a number of other errors in the registration documents. For instance, the products Markle intends to sell under the brand were incorrectly named. Most descriptions were too vague and included various product groups. For example, Meghan expressed an intention to sell kitchen equipment but did not specify what kind, ranging from ladles to complex kitchen appliances. According to patent office rules, such general descriptions are not acceptable; specific product types must be listed in the documents. Now, Markle will need to revise all the prepared paperwork. It’s also unclear how she will resolve the issue with the brand name itself.
Critics argue that Meghan has demonstrated a glaring lack of business acumen in this situation. This is not the first time such issues have arisen. Last year, when she first attempted to register American Riviera Orchard, she also submitted incorrect documents. Furthermore, after sending them to the patent office, she forgot to pay the registration fee. She also failed to trademark the name of her podcast, Archewell, which she created for Spotify. The registration was denied because a brand with the exact same name had already been successfully registered by someone else. Markle’s failure to check these details before submitting the documents further highlights her struggles with business management.
Of course, Markle could delegate all the technical work to her staff. However, this has proven impossible. Reports suggest that Markle is such a demanding and difficult employer that few people want to work with her. Consequently, those who are hired often leave soon after. It is known that the Duchess has lost nearly 20 employees in recent years who no longer wished to work with her. Now, she is trying to manage everything herself—with unimpressive results.