Meghan Markle has finally spoken out about the drama surrounding her brand's rename to As Ever, having previously unveiled her brand under the name American Riviera Orchard. Speaking on the third episode of her new podcast, she told guest Kadi Lee: "I had secured As Ever as a name in 2022, and then as everything started to evolve last year, and bringing in a partner the size that it was, it was just so interesting.

"You remember, I said, 'I like American Riviera as an umbrella,' and then be able to have verticals beneath it. And maybe have the 'Orchard' really small. But when that's not feasible … suddenly it became this word salad. I didn't love that so much.

"I was like, 'OK, let's go back to the thing that I've always loved. Let's use the name that I protected for a reason that had sort of been under wraps'.

"And then we were able to focus in the quiet and put our heads down and build on something that no one was sniffing around to even see about. It was really just helpful to have that quiet period."

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