Meghan Markle’s new brand delayed by leadership challenges and staff resignations
Meghan Markle, the wife to Prince Harry, set the internet on a stir on March 14 when a teaser of her new brand; American Riviera Orchard was released. This lifestyle and kitchen brand seems to be inspired by the couple’s residence in a house in California coastal region. However, again, a report from the New York Post, highlighted that the Duchess has been struggling to secure a CEO which has hampered the brands expansion and product release.
A source revealed that Meghan ,43, cannot find the right leadership for the brand and that has been a cause for the hold up.
"The numbers don't lie and to have almost 20 members of staff quitting on them tells its own story. It's unprecedented, even for a startup," another watcher commented. Another insider concurred by revealing that, "The brutal reality is Harry and Meghan are the toughest of taskmasters, they're very demanding and difficult to work for and that puts a lot of people's backs up."
Remarkably, the newly appointed head of staff for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle resigned after just three months. A seasoned public relations specialist named Josh Kettler was hired by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly before their three-day trip to Nigeria in May. But it was revealed a few weeks ago that Mr. Kettler was no longer working for the Sussexes.
Santa Barbara native Mr. Kettler was brought on board to "assist Prince Harry through his next phase" and he went with the 39-year-old father of two on his quick trip to London in May to commemorate the Invictus Games' tenth anniversary.
However, the business of the strawberry jam jars delivered by Ms Markle to only a few of the celebrities in March can be considered as the brand’s starting point strong.” The mother of two also suggested a rose wine line and sent the dog biscuits to her friends.
In earlier this year, the name of the said brand was revealed through a 14-second retro-style video clip which depicted hands of some women arranging flowers, and the duchess of the Meghan Markle cooking something in the kitchen. It ended with a glimpse of a women in a ball gown standing at the end of a colonnade that seemed to go on for ever.
Besides, the official American Riviera Orchard account that is represented on Instagram posted nine enlarged photos of the emblem that is composed of close-ups in total. Its bio also stated that it was written "by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. Established 2024."
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
