Featured Image Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Celebrity, Royal Family
Lucy Devine
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Celebrity, Royal Family
Meghan Markle has admitted to being 'incredibly lonely' following reports of her 'professional separation' from Prince Harry.
Over the last few months, the Duchess of Sussex has carved out a number of professional projects, including her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, her lifestyle brand, As Ever and her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.
While Meghan and Harry also have a shared Netflix docu-series and their charitable organisation Archewell, in late 2024, reports arose that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were embarking on a 'professional separation'.
GB News has reported that the pair are building their own 'royal' household structure as they permanently separate their professional lives. This includes having their own chief of staff.
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It is reported that Miranda Barbot, a veteran political and media adviser who helped re-elect former POTUS Barack Obama in 2012, will work solely for Harry, while Sarah Fosmo, formerly an aide to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, will support Meghan.
Now, this doesn't mean they're actually separating—it simply means that the pair will focus on their own ventures rather than embarking on them as a couple.
Now, Meghan has spoken out about how running a business can be 'incredibly lonely'.
“When you only have yourself to answer to, I think it’s two-fold,” Meghan said on this week's episode of her podcast.
“It can be incredibly liberating and it can be incredibly lonely.”
Meghan also added that while she had initially planned to launch her lifestyle brand 'by herself' she changed her mind, explaining: “I... took a complete U-turn because I really believe in what Netflix and their CPG [consumer packaged goods] department are doing.”
Later in the episode, Meghan also spoke about how she changed the name of her brand from American Rivera Orchard to As Ever.
“It’s no different than... if you have an idea of what you’re gonna name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart until that baby is here and it’s named," she said.
“Don’t ask anyone’s opinion!” she added, referring to choosing a business name. “It becomes like Survey Monkey at the beginning of a business.”
Speaking of names, the Duchess of Sussex - who shares Archie, six, and Lilibet, three, with Prince Harry - recently opened up about the personal significance of the family-of-four all having the same surname.
In an episode of her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, she explained to her friend Mindy Kaling more about her choice of surname.
"I don't think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack In The Box and loves it," Mindy said in response to an admission Meghan made about eating the takeout food.
Meghan pointed out that she found it 'funny' that Mindy called her 'Meghan Markle'.
"It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now," she explained. "You have kids and you go 'No, I share my name with my children'.
"I didn't know how meaningful it would be to me but it just means so much to go 'This is OUR family name. Our little family name'."
In response, Mindy said: "Well, now I know and I love it."