Back in June, Puck News had a particularly slanted piece about the Duchess of Sussex, Netflix and As Ever. The piece contradicted itself several times, claiming that the As Ever rollout was haphazard because Meghan is a chaos agent, then in the same breath, suggesting that Meghan wasn’t in control and the whole thing was a Netflix operation and they were just using Meghan as the face of everything. What’s clear is that a lot of people in Hollywood have been keeping their eye on Meghan, Netflix and As Ever, and there seems to be a lot of jealousy and behind-the-scenes bitching. I bring up that Puck piece because that was the first time I heard that Meghan had some kind of discussion about a possible collaboration with Flamingo Estate. It sounded like the Flamingo Estate people were mad that they couldn’t work something out with Meghan, and like they have regrets (regrets buried under a mountain of snide jealousy). Well, it sounds like someone from Flamingo Estate is shopping the same old story to another outlet. Behold, an exclusive in Parade:
Meghan Markle is having a harder time landing lifestyle brand partnerships than she thought she would, a source exclusively tells Parade.
“Meghan has been trying to get a lot of brands to partner with her and work with her but she’s been getting turned down,” the insider claims. “It’s been a lot harder for her than she thought it would be.”
The source continues: “She wanted to partner with Flamingo Estate to do some products together, and they took a meeting with her but ultimately declined a partnership. She was very disappointed by this one specifically. She really wants to break out into the lifestyle space and have her own line of products like candles, foods, etc. She doesn’t get why it’s been such a struggle.”
Parade reached out to Markle’s team, as well as Flamingo Estate, but did not immediately hear back. The company, inspired by the Spanish-style L.A. home of Richard Christiansen and his partner, touts “daily essentials for a well-lived life.” They sell everything from candles and soaps to fresh fruits and vegetables. Recently, Naked Gun star Pamela Anderson partnered with the brand for a limited-edition release of “Pamela’s Pickles,” described as the “most delicious pickles we’ve ever tasted.” Proceeds from Pamela’s Pickles benefit the California Wildlife Center.
In March 2024, Puck reported that Markle, 44, wanted to become an “active partner” in Flamingo Estate and even displayed the brand’s products in the home she shares with husband Prince Harry. However, a source told the publication at the time, “Ultimately, the estate realized they didn’t want to take the business in that direction.”
“She really wants to break out into the lifestyle space and have her own line of products like candles, foods, etc.” Did this source miss the fact that two As Ever food drops sold out in a matter of minutes? And yes, Meghan should totally do a candle line. At this point, though, she doesn’t need to partner with anyone for any of these products. As I said, it really sounds like the Flamingo Estate people are running around and spreading nasty stories about her – like, I would believe that Meghan approached them at one point and pitched a collab, and maybe Meghan got turned down. She probably just shrugged and went ahead and built her own thing, which is already wildly successful. As for other partnerships… it would not surprise me if she had some stuff in the pipeline, perhaps something with Le Creuset. Or maybe some kind of high-end candle company – As Ever jam-scented candles! PLEASE!
Meanwhile, the As Ever team is posting shortbread cookies even though the fakakta shortbread mix is sold out! Please, RESTOCK! And send out those free jams, like you promised!
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s IG.
