As Meghan Markle turns 43 today, the Duchess of Sussex finds herself at a career crossroads, with her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard showing little progress since its launch in March. The brand's website and Instagram account went live months ago, but only a few social media posts from friends showcasing jam jars with the logo have emerged since.
Royal author Tom Quinn told the Mirror that this stagnation may signal that the couple's life plan is in 'serious trouble'. He said: 'Harry has never had any real idea about becoming an entrepreneur or a businessman in his own right. He is trained from birth to do one thing only – to be a royal and he has thrown that away.' Quinn added that Meghan's self-belief 'won't always guarantee success' as an entrepreneur.
Despite the brand setbacks, Harry and Meghan are pressing ahead with other projects. They have pre-recorded an interview for CBS Sunday Morning, airing today, about a new initiative supporting parents of children affected by online harm. In a clip, Meghan said: 'Our kids are young, they are three and five... all you want to do as parents is protect them.' Harry added that many parents now need to be 'first responders' for signs of possible suicide in children.
The couple is also planning a four-day tour of Colombia this summer, at the invitation of Vice-President Francia Márquez. The trip will include engagements aligned with their foundation's work and is seen as an attempt to replicate the rapturous reception they received during their Nigeria tour. Colombia is the only Latin American country to have participated in the Invictus Games.
A source told the Mirror: 'Harry and Meghan will carry out a series of engagements aligned to the work of their Foundation and lifelong philanthropic endeavours. The visit is part of their ongoing commitment to global philanthropy.' The tour precedes the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, to be held in Colombia in November.
