The China Mail - 'With Love, Meghan': what's behind Markle's new rebranding?

A trailer for the eight-part series "With Love, Meghan" follows the former "Suits" actor as she cooks meals, bakes cakes, keeps bees, arranges flowers, and decorates doughnuts.

It was reportedly filmed in a farmhouse near the southern California home she shares with her husband, Britain's Prince Harry, and their two children.

But even before its release, the show has riled Markle's detractors and drawn flak for its supposedly conformist presentation of a woman's role in the home.

Marketing experts told AFP Markle was striving to reinvent her image in a "safer," more traditional mould as she faces intense criticism and financial pressure.

Since marrying into Britain's royal family in 2018 Markle has faced particularly heavy scrutiny, which increased with the couple's dramatic split from the royals and their move to California in 2020. The couple have cited racism, including in the royal household, as one reason for their departure.

Being cut off from the royal purse has pushed the pair to develop new sources of income and they have experimented with several ventures over the years.

- 'More conservative' -

A multi-million dollar partnership with Netflix yielded the much-talked-about "Harry & Meghan", a six-episode docuseries launched in 2022, as well as some poorly received documentaries.

After Harry's flop 2024 sporting series about polo, critics say there's a lot riding on "With Love, Meghan."

Pauline MacLaran, a professor of marketing at Royal Holloway University of London, said Markle may have been seeking out a "safer route" in the latest series, which harks back to her time running lifestyle blog The Tig from 2014-17.

"She tried a few different things but hasn't been successful, so she's trying again with a different approach," MacLaran said, adding that it appeared Markle was "trying to be more conservative" and "going for a more traditional role" this time.

Markle, 43, has long been an advocate for women's rights and has said she "is proud to be a woman and a feminist".

But MacLaran believes the new series looks "strange" in this light.

"From what we've seen so far there's a 'tradwife' vibe," she said, referencing a conservative trend on social media that idealises the archetypal housewife role.

- 'Pursuit of joy' -

But Finola Kerrigan, a professor of marketing at the University of Birmingham, argued Markle has limited room for manoeuvre.

"Maybe when the political tone was more progressive it was fine to express an opinion. Now, things have changed," she said.

"I don't think that Meghan has the support mechanism to take on that role and whatever she does, she's criticised."

Guests on the new series will include chef Alice Waters, actor Mindy Kaling and close friend Abigail Spencer, one of Markle's "Suits" co-stars.

Harry appears briefly in the trailer, in which Markle says: "We're not in the pursuit of perfection. We're in the pursuit of joy."

Earlier this year, Markle renamed her 2024 "American Riviera Orchard" lifestyle brand, calling it "As Ever," which has a website selling products such as jams and tableware.

"If you followed me since 2014 with the Tig, you know I've always loved cooking and crafting and gardening -- this is what I do," she said, announcing the rebrand.

Kerrigan told AFP that "brands evolve with the person," arguing that Markle "hasn't betrayed who she is -- she's adapting in a shifting world."

The shift may also reflect changes in Markle's personal life, MacLaran said.

In the video announcing the "As Ever" rebrand, the couple's three-year-old daughter Lilibet makes an appearance in the background.

"We have to remember she is at a stage of her life with two kids, it might have changed her perspective on many things, it might have changed her," MacLaran said.

K.Lam--ThChM