Meghan Markle wants to return to the UK so she can be pictured with the Royal Family to help plug her business, a US journalist has claimed. The Duchess of Sussex is expected to join Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on a visit to Britain for the first time in four years. The Sussexes are expected to travel from their home in California to the UK in July for celebrations marking the one-year countdown to Harry’s Invictus Games hosted by Birmingham.
Strategic Operation or Family Unity?
Paula Froelich, a former columnist at the New York Post, described the visit as a 'strategic operation dressed up as a plea for family unity'. Detailing her view on why Meghan wants to come to Britain, Ms Froelich said the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle brand, As Ever, is not doing as well as anticipated. In an article posted to her substack, Paula Froelich: Uncensored, the writer points to a 33% drop in web traffic to As Ever between January and April as well as a glitch late last year which reportedly showed some 650,000 products sitting unsold in warehouses.
Netflix Walks Away
She also noted Netflix walked away from an investment in the brand in March after Meghan's cooking programme, With Love, Meghan, failed to list among the streaming service's top 1,000 watched programmes last year. Ms Froelich commented: 'The miracle she needs is a photograph of Meghan Markle, relevant and radiant, standing near actual working members of the British Royal Family. That would be an image, circulated globally, that does for her brand what no marketing budget on earth can replicate: she’s back and fully accepted into the fold.'
Spokesperson Rejects Claims
Speculation about As Ever's future has been roundly rejected by the Duchess's spokesperson, who described media reports as 'doom stories' reminiscent of Groundhog Day. They explained: 'The same prediction, the same unnamed sources, the same certainty and somehow we're still waiting for the apocalypse they promised in 2024.' On claims the business was at risk of going bust, the spokesperson said: 'Recent claims suggesting As Ever is facing financial difficulties or bankruptcy are entirely false and based on speculation rather than fact.'
They added that As Ever continues to grow, supported by a strong customer base and 'exciting' pipeline of products to come. The spokesperson said: 'As with any growing brand, we make decisions based on long-term planning and customer demand, not tabloid conjecture. The continued appetite for As Ever products speaks for itself and we remain focused on what matters most: delivering quality products and building a brand that our customers love.'
