In the sun-drenched hills of Montecito, California, where olive groves sway against the Pacific backdrop, Meghan Markle is crafting more than just artisanal jams and scented candles—she’s building a blueprint for billionaire status. On November 1, 2025, the Duchess of Sussex unveiled the inaugural Christmas collection for her lifestyle brand, As Ever, a curated lineup of luxury indulgences: a $89 bottle of Champagne-style sparkling wine sourced from California’s finest vineyards, hand-poured candles at $64 each infused with notes of fig and amber that evoke her 2018 Windsor wedding, warming beverage kits blending herbal teas with spiced honey, and gift sets wrapped in sustainable linen. Priced from $50 to $300, the drop sold out in under 42 minutes, crashing the website and sparking a waitlist of 250,000 eager consumers. But this festive flourish is merely the opening act in Meghan’s grand symphony of ambition. Insiders reveal her unyielding drive: to transform As Ever into a “mega brand” rivaling SKIMS or Goop, propelling her from a comfortable $60 million net worth—shared with Prince Harry—into the stratosphere of self-made billionaires like Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow.
At 44, Meghan is no novice to reinvention. Born Rachel Meghan Markle in Los Angeles on August 4, 1981, she navigated a biracial upbringing in the shadow of Hollywood’s glare. Her mother, Doria Ragland, a yoga instructor and social worker, and father, Thomas Markle, a lighting director, instilled in her a blend of resilience and creativity. After graduating from Northwestern University with dual degrees in theater and international studies, Meghan hustled through bit parts on shows like General Hospital and Married… with Children. Her breakthrough came as Rachel Zane on Suits, earning $50,000 per episode and amassing a pre-royal fortune of $5 million from acting, endorsements, and her lifestyle blog, The Tig. Launched in 2014, The Tig was a digital diary of travel, food, and feminism—think avocado toast recipes alongside interviews with Serena Williams. It shuttered in 2017 amid her courtship with Harry, but its spirit lives on in As Ever.
The brand’s genesis traces to March 2024, when Meghan soft-launched American Riviera Orchard via Instagram: a gilded logo and jars of strawberry jam mailed to 50 influencers, including Mindy Kaling and Tracee Ellis Ross. The moniker nodded to Santa Barbara’s nickname, but trademark hurdles—another local company claimed “American Riviera” for candles—forced a pivot. In February 2025, Meghan announced the rebrand to As Ever in a sunlit video from her $14 million mansion’s garden. “It allows for so many more products that I love,” she explained, her voice warm as Harry chimed in off-camera: “It’s recording!” The name, trademarked in 2022, echoes her sign-off in letters to friends—a timeless, affectionate flourish. Partnered exclusively with Netflix, As Ever debuted alongside her series With Love, Meghan, an eight-episode homage to hosting, filmed in a rented Montecito farmhouse with guests like Roy Choi and Abigail Spencer.
The launch was electric. Initial drops—raspberry jam at $18 a jar, dog biscuits for $12, and floral teas—sold out in hours, generating an estimated $4.5 million in first-week revenue. Meghan’s hands-on approach shines: she personally stirs preserves in her copper-clad kitchen, sources organic ingredients from local farms, and designs packaging with eco-friendly glass and recycled paper. “I want it to feel like a hug from a friend,” she told Bloomberg in a rare interview. The Christmas range elevates this ethos—candles scented with “Royal Wedding Bloom” (jasmine and citrus), wine fermented sans sulfites, and kits including mugs etched with “As Ever, With Love.” A portion of proceeds supports women’s shelters, tying into Archewell’s mission.
Yet Meghan’s vision extends far beyond pantry staples. Royal commentator Emily Andrews, in Channel 5’s The Meghan Effect: How She Shook Up the Royal Family, dropped a bombshell: “I’ve been told by those close to Meghan that she wants to become a billionaire.” Andrews elaborated, “Jam is just the beginning.” Meghan’s playbook draws from power players. In October 2025, she was the “star guest” at a Los Angeles dinner hosted by Emma Grede, the British entrepreneur behind SKIMS (valued at $4 billion) and Good American. Photos showed Meghan in a sleek Balenciaga gown, deep in conversation with Grede over vegan charcuterie. PR strategist Chad Teixeira called it “strategic genius”: visuals positioning Meghan as Grede’s equal, fueling rumors of a shapewear or beauty collab.
Beauty beckons loudly. Whispers from Montecito insiders suggest a cosmetics line—clean, inclusive formulas inspired by Meghan’s biracial heritage. Think serums with African botanicals, foundations in 50 shades, and lip oils named after her children, Archie and Lilibet. “Meghan sees Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, now worth billions,” a source confided. “She wants that glow-up.” Hospitality looms too: branded boutique hotels or wellness retreats, blending As Ever‘s aesthetic with yoga pavilions and farm-to-table dining. Andrews predicts, “If she enters hospitality, I can absolutely see her becoming a billionaire.”
Financially, the math tantalizes. Meghan and Harry’s combined $60 million stems from inheritances (Harry’s $10 million from Diana, $7 million from the Queen Mother), Suits residuals, and deals: a $100 million Netflix pact (yielding Harry & Meghan doc and With Love, Meghan, renewed for season two), a $20 million Spotify fling (ended after Archetypes), and Lemonada’s podcast Confessions of a Female Founder. As Ever‘s Shopify site already hawks curated “Meghan’s Picks”—cashmere throws at $295, crystal decanters at $150—plus affiliate links raking commissions. Projections: $50 million in year-one sales, scaling to $500 million by 2030 via expansions into apparel, skincare, and homeware.
Critics abound. Tabloids dub it “overpriced jam for the elite,” mocking $64 candles amid inflation. Early stumbles—delayed launches, trademark woes—fueled “flop” narratives. Yet data counters: As Ever‘s Instagram boasts 2.8 million followers, engagement rates topping Goop’s. A Nielsen report pegs Meghan’s “influence score” at 92/100, driving $1.2 million in media value per post. Her Paris Fashion Week debut in October, front-row at Balenciaga, signaled fashion’s embrace.
Meghan’s drive is deeply personal. Post-Megxit, she confessed in The Cut feeling “guilty” over money woes, vowing financial independence. Motherhood to Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, fuels her: “I want them to see a woman building something meaningful.” Harry supports quietly, handling security while Meghan brainstorms in their chicken-coop-adjacent office. Doria, ever-present, tests recipes; friends like Oprah advise on scaling.
Challenges lurk. The royals’ silence speaks volumes—King Charles reportedly winced at As Ever‘s royal wedding nods. Legal threats over “Duchess” branding loom, and competition is fierce: Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, Jessica Alba’s Honest Company. Supply chain hiccups delayed restocks, irking fans. Meghan counters with transparency: newsletters detailing “from my kitchen to yours.”
Still, momentum builds. A “save the date” teaser hints at a spring beauty drop; rumors swirl of a SKIMS-style activewear line. Meghan’s podcast teases “billion-dollar blueprints,” interviewing founders like Bobbi Brown. At a November gala, she toasted: “This is about legacy—creating something that outlives trends.”
In Montecito’s golden hour, as Meghan photographs new prototypes—perhaps a silk robe embroidered with “As Ever”—her empire rises. From actress to duchess to mogul, she’s scripting a rags-to-riches redux, American Dream 2.0. Billionaire status? Not if, but when. As one insider quipped, “Meghan doesn’t just want a seat at the table—she’s building the table, the chairs, and the entire dining empire.” In a world of fleeting fame, As Ever promises permanence: a brand as enduring as her ambition.
