The scope of her ambitions seems to know no bounds, as memorably noted by her friend Kim Kardashian, who said Meghan Markle planned to “change the world.”
But are those dreams destined to be thwarted forever?
The demand is prompted by a development that will baffle fans eager to taste the Duchess of Sussex’s jam or any of the other delicacies she plans to offer to the public through American Riviera Orchard, the “lifestyle brand” she unveiled in April .
Her attempt to trademark the name American Riviera Orchard ran into what could be described as a multi-billion dollar problem.
It comes in the uncompromising form of a protest filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by a company that owns the trademark “Royal Riviera.”
Meghan Markle’s attempt to trademark the name American Riviera Orchard has hit a snag. A company that owns the trademark ‘Royal Riviera’ has filed a protest with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
The protest, deemed “relevant” due to “risk of confusion”, has been referred to Marco Wright, the Trademark Office’s investigating lawyer.
The owner, Harry & David, is an American institution, founded in 1934, with an annual turnover of £1.7 billion and 3,300 employees.
The protest, which was deemed ‘relevant’ due to ‘likelihood of confusion’, has been referred to Marco Wright, the Trademark Office’s investigating lawyer.
It’s the last bit of bad luck for Meghan, 43.
A year ago, her attempt to secure a trademark for her lifestyle blog, The Tig, hit a snag when she failed to file a “statement of use” with her application, requiring her attorney, Danielle Weiss, to file a six months’ notice. extension.
American Riviera Orchard was similarly hit last month when, as I revealed, the trademark office informed her that “American Riviera” was too vague a term, and determined she had three months to clarify, plus Had to pay $700 (£535). ) to continue her application.
Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and author of a dazzling biography of Princess Diana, fears this is not bad luck. Meghan, Brown declared last week, is “faultless when it comes to doing it all wrong,” adding that “all her ideas are totally c**p.”
Megs could do worse than visiting Harry and David. The fortune was made when the founders hand-delivered exquisite comice pears to city businessmen.
The fruit was so good that they trademarked it: Royal Riviera® Pears. No jokes about the things Meghan makes fun of, please.
Mourning Madonna’s hug for Rocco
Family is proving to be a comfort to Madonna, who is mourning her brother – the artist Christopher Ciccone – who died of cancer this month.
The 66-year-old singer was in Paris this week to visit her son’s art exhibition and was snapped with her arms around Rocco, 24, whose father is film director Guy Ritchie.
“The perfect antidote to sadness,” she wrote alongside the photo she shared online. Rocco paints under the name Rhed and his artwork has sold for five-figure sums.
Madonna, 66, was in Paris this week to visit her son’s art exhibition and was snapped with her arms around Rocco, 24, whose father is film director Guy Ritchie.
Olympia’s Herculean Job: Washing an Elephant
King Charles and Queen Camilla last month celebrated their tenth anniversary as joint royal presidents of the Elephant Family – a charity dedicated to the conservation of endangered Asian wildlife.
And the couple aren’t the only royal family with a soft spot for pachyderms. His Majesty’s goddaughter, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark, 28, has bonded with the beasts during their bath time.
During a trip to Thailand, the London-based socialite and model shared a video of herself bathing an elephant in the river at Bangkok’s Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary.
“Out of office,” says the model, the only daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Marie-Chantal Miller.
Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark during a Chanel and W Magazine dinner in New York
During a trip to Thailand, the London-based socialite and model shared a video of herself bathing an elephant in the river at Bangkok’s Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary
The model, the only daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Marie-Chantal Miller, and the goddaughter of King Charles
Peter Capaldi hesitated
The old saying that those who can, do; Teaching those who can’t was once advised to Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi when he was trying to become an artist in his youth.
‘Nobody ever said: ‘Go to art school and you can become an artist.’
They said, ‘You could be an art teacher.’
The old saying that those who can, do; teaching those who can’t was once advised to Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi as he tried to become an artist in his youth
Vanessa’s savage volley at ‘one-hit wonder’ ex
Vanessa Feltz pulls no punches in her new memoir, which chronicles the breakdown of her relationship with Phats & Small singer Ben Ofoedu in excruciating detail.
In Vanessa Bares All she labels her former partner of 17 years a ‘one-hit wonder’, and is especially scathing about the merits of the song Turn Around.
‘He didn’t even write Turn Around and had no royalties for the bloody hit. Every time we had to hear that damn song again, he wouldn’t get four cents for it, so it was extremely annoying.”
But the 62-year-old presenter is not afraid of any consequences for her comments, as she assured me at the Wimbledon Bookfest in London: “I don’t think he can read.” A representative for Ben Ofoedu could not be reached for comment.
Vanessa Feltz pulls no punches in her new memoir, which recounts the dissolution of her relationship with Phats & Small singer Ben Ofoedu in excruciating detail.
Al Fayed Crown Controversy
Some of Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged sexual assault victims are angry about his positive portrayal in The Crown.
It has also had a disturbing effect on Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry, who plays the disgraced Harrods boss in the drama. “It was disturbing to hear about all these accusations,” Amir told me at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.
Some of Mohamed Al Fayed’s alleged sexual assault victims are angry about his positive portrayal in The Crown
“I’ve had to give up watching all these stories about him.” However, El-Masry, 34, says the production should not be blamed on Al Fayed, the father of Princess Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed.
“Bad behavior shouldn’t be excused on any level, but actors play villains and questionable people all the time, and The Crown is certainly one of the most successful TV shows out there.”
Swimwear designer Melissa Odabash does everything she can to maintain her beach body all year round and says celery juice is her secret
Odabash’s slim tip: a pint a day
The nights are coming, but swimwear designer Melissa Odabash is doing everything she can to maintain her beach body all year round.
‘Drinking 500ml of celery juice every day will detoxify your whole body and give you a flat stomach,’ she tells me at the Global Gift Gala at the Kimpton Fitzroy hotel in London.
Odabash, 59, says, “My models do it before a shoot, and I just started doing what they do.” But she insists: ‘I eat everything. I’m a foodie. I used to live in Italy.’
