The Duchess of Sussex and the streaming giant have parted ways on her As Ever lifestyle brand, raising fresh questions about her post-royal reinvention.
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle venture is entering a new phase — this time, without Netflix. The streaming giant confirmed it has ended its investment in As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex’s consumer brand, less than a year after its debut. Both parties are characterizing the departure as a planned transition, not a falling out.
A Netflix spokesperson described the company’s role as helping to bring Markle’s vision to life at launch, adding that the brand is now ready to operate on its own. A representative for As Ever pointed to rapid growth over the past year as evidence the label no longer needs the streamer’s infrastructure to thrive.
A Sell-Out Launch and a Swift Exit
As Ever debuted last April with a curated collection of honey, flower sprinkles, and fruit preserves — the kind of artisanal, aesthetically driven goods that reflect Markle’s brand identity. The products sold out in under an hour. Netflix’s consumer packaged goods division helped develop the line, lending both operational support and a built-in marketing platform. That first launch validated consumer appetite for the brand, even among skeptics.
A Broader Pullback for the Sussexes on Netflix
The As Ever split is part of a larger pattern. Several Sussex projects have quietly disappeared from Netflix’s slate in recent months, including the animated family series Pearl and Markle’s cooking and homemaking show With Love, Meghan. Sources say there are currently no plans for a third season of the latter, though future one-off specials remain a possibility.
Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria once described the Sussexes as influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences worldwide, and the couple’s Archewell Productions banner retains its deal with the streamer. But the ambition of the original partnership has clearly been scaled back.
Markle Refocuses on the Business of As Ever
People close to Markle say the decision was ultimately about bandwidth. Running a television production while simultaneously building a consumer brand proved grueling, and she has chosen to prioritize the latter. She plans to keep producing cooking and crafting content for her social channels — but on a schedule that lets her stay close to the day-to-day operations of As Ever.
Markle has spoken openly about the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship, acknowledging missteps and crediting those around her for the patience to let her figure it out. That candor has become part of her public persona — a deliberate shift from the more guarded posture of her years inside the royal family.
Can As Ever Stand on Its Own?
The lifestyle space is unforgiving, and the celebrity brand lane has grown crowded. Without Netflix’s platform, Markle will need to rely on her own social presence and direct-to-consumer strategy to sustain momentum. The upside: freed from the constraints of a media partnership, she can move faster and build a brand identity that feels entirely her own.
Whether As Ever can generate the kind of sustained traction that turns a celebrity venture into a durable brand remains the central question. Markle has the name recognition, the aesthetic sensibility, and — after a rocky few years — a story her audience is still invested in. The next chapter of As Ever will test whether that is enough.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
