Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard has suffered a major setback after its trademark was rejected ahead of its official launch.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected its trademark application as businesses cannot operate using the names of real places, The Telegraph reports.
American Riviera is often used to refer to Santa Barbara, California, where the Duchess of Sussex lives with her husband Prince Harry and their two children.
News of the setback comes as Prince William returned to work sporting a stubble on a visit to a homelessness exhibition in his first official engagement since the summer break.
William first revealed the rugged look in a surprise video with Kate last month as they congratulated Team GB on their Olympic success.
The markedly more casual look sparked controversy online, with some royal fans pleading with him to keep the stubble while others sarcastically saying he looked as if he was in “vacation mode”.
Prince William returns to work with new look
The Prince of Wales thanked artists for taking part in a groundbreaking homelessness exhibition as he sported his summer beard in public for the first time.
William debuted his new look in an online video with his wife Kate in August, when they praised the achievements of the nation’s athletes after the Paris Olympics.
The stubble was still in place as he toured Homelessness: Reframed, an exhibition that aims to give a fresh perspective on the issue, with sculptures, photographs and everyday objects given a new life by artists who may have slept rough.
William’s Homewards project, which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, is the driving force behind the art exhibition which opened at the Saatchi Gallery in London in August.
The beard of the future King, who turned 42 in June, had flecks of grey and looked neatly trimmed to the same length as in his video appearance last month.
School fees of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis revealed
Following the news that the Wales children returned to school on Wednesday (4 September), their school fees at the prestigious Lambrook School in Bracknell have been revealed.
As reported by the Express, it costs the family around £79,387.20 a year to send Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to the school.
Fees for the school vary depending on age and whether or not a child boards but start from £5,434 a term.
Prince Harry ‘should drop out of public life’
A former royal aide has claimed that if the Duke of Sussex wants privacy, he should “drop out of public life and keep his mouth shut”.
This comes after Harry, who turns 40 this month, said that press intrusion and a desire to live a more independent life were behind his decision to step down as a working royal in 2020.
Patrick Jephson, who formerly worked for Princess Diana, told Grazia magazine that the duke should get a normal job and stop appearing at high-profile events.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have ‘made a lot of missteps’
Kinsey Schofield made the comments amid claims that Prince Harry misses his old life in the UK and would consider a “part-time” role in the royal family if asked by King Charles.
“He’s doing it because Americans did not welcome them in the way that they initially thought they would,” she said, as reported by the Express.
“I think they’ve made a lot of missteps over the last few years, and they’re not having the life that they thought they were going to.
“I don’t think the ‘American Dream’ has come to fruition for them the way that they thought it would and Prince Harry [now] realises that he was a valuable asset as a member of the Royal Family and that really gave him purpose.”
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Royal Family ‘disappointed with how King has handled family issues’
Cited problems include the monarch’s decision to remove the security he was privately funding for Prince Andrew at the Royal Lodge.
A source told Woman’s Day magazine: “Charles does look at the current state of his family with deep concern. Everyone, it seems, has issues, whether it be health, financial, [or] legal.
“This situation with Andrew and the Royal Lodge has somewhat divided the family… with Anne, Sophie, and Edward all disappointed in how he’s handled it.
“Then there’s the diabolical situation with his two beloved sons.
“There are fallouts with Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie, who are deeply concerned Andrew is not being protected.”
Prince William attends Homewards exhibition
The exhibition, which features works in several mediums, is designed to provide viewers with new perspectives on homelessness.
Harry’s memoir ‘olive branch’ to royal family
A representative for its publisher Penguin Random House said that “the contents of the book are unchanged”.
However, the insiders told The Express that the book’s release in October will “inevitably re-open old wounds” as the book contains several bombshell accusations.
This includes the claim that Prince William physically attacked Harry when they got into an argument over Meghan Markle.
Queen Camilla celebrates Book Aid’s 70th anniversary
Queen Camilla yesterday celebrated the 70th anniversary of Book Aid following her return to duty after the royal summer break.
The royal family wrote on their official Twitter/X account: “The Queen, as Patron of @book_aid, hosted a Reception yesterday to celebrate the charity’s 70th anniversary.
“The charity works in over 35 countries providing books, setting up libraries and sharing the joy of reading.
“Her Majesty has been Patron of Book Aid International since 2022. The Late Duke of Edinburgh was Patron from 1966 until his death in 2021.”
📚🎉 The Queen, as Patron of @book_aid, hosted a Reception yesterday to celebrate the charity’s 70th anniversary. 🎉
🌍 The charity works in over 35 countries providing books, setting up libraries and sharing the joy of reading.
Her Majesty has been Patron of Book Aid… pic.twitter.com/eI3GpZCQ84
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 5, 2024
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg warns royal family about Prince Harry
This comes amid widespread reports that the Duke of Sussex misses his old life in the UK and would consider a “part-time” return to duty if asked by King Charles.
The former cabinet minister said: “I think it will be difficult. The real difficulty is that anything that anyone has said to Prince Harry appeared in a book.
“It is very hard to rebuild that trust.”
As reported by the Express, he added: “I just wonder what the British people will think in ten years’ time, if no mercy is shown?
“So, I think there may be a way back for him in due course and that a very hard-nosed Royal Family may find that doesn’t maintain popular support.
“But he’s got to come back in a very measured way that means that when they have lunch with him, they are only talking about the front page of the Daily Mail, rather than their inner-most secrets because they don’t want it to appear in a book.”
Source: independent.co.uk