celebrity
The Duchess is stuffed.
Meghan Markle, 42, is launching a new lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard, which will include jam jars and other products.
But claims of “bullying” could be damaging to the brand, royal experts say.
“Where there's smoke, there's fire,” business development consultant Hilary Fordwich told FOX News Digital.
“The Sussex Survivors Club examples are too numerous to imagine that this allegation could not be true…By contrast, not a single such report has been raised regarding the Duchess of Cambridge.”
Mr Fordwich was referring to former palace aide Samantha Cohen, who in a recent interview with the Australian Herald Sun accused Markle of “bullying” staff during her tenure at the palace. He admitted that he was one of the 10 employees who were interrogated.
In 2017, Cohen, who previously worked for Queen Elizabeth II, was tasked with preparing Markle to join the royal family.
Royal expert Tom Bower wrote in the Daily Mail on Tuesday: . I also think members of Samantha Cohen's team saw this as irresponsible self-indulgence. Both sides will blame a clash of cultures. ”
According to Valentine Rowe's book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Cohen, who resigned in 2018, likened his previous job to “working with teenagers.”
Cohen told the Herald Sun he stayed longer than planned.
“I was only supposed to be there for six months, but I ended up staying for 18 years. I couldn't find anyone to replace me, and when I did, I took Harry and Meghan on a tour of Africa to show them the ropes. They left while in Africa as well.
The Times reported in 2020 that press secretary Jason Knauf compiled the file after three female staffers alleged they were “bullied” by Markle.
In an email exchange, Knauf claimed to the palace's human resources department that Meghan had bullied two PAs “outside the household.”
At the time, Prince Harry and Ms Markle denied the allegations, and Ms Markle's representatives said it was “the latest attack on her character”.
But just as Markle is launching her own lifestyle brand, Cohen's new interview has brought the bullying allegations back into the spotlight. And experts think that could hurt her up-and-coming business, American Riviera Orchard.
It is currently unclear whether Markle's new products will be sold in Prince Harry's hometown.
American Riviera Orchard's website is currently static, only asking visitors to enter their email if they want to receive notifications from the brand about “products, availability, and updates.”
The brand's bio reads, “From Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.”
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