She says she wants to ‘leverage her significant influence’ to build a powerhouse business empire – as if selling edible flower sprinkles and £10-a-jar jam isn’t enough to keep a duchess in the style to which she’s become accustomed.
Now Meghan is said to be planning a range of lucrative make-up products to boost the fortunes of her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
It’s a gamble that has more than paid off for celebrities such as US singer Selena Gomez, who is now a billionaire thanks to the success of her company Rare Beauty.
Rumours of the Duchess of Sussex‘s venture spread after she posted two clips on Instagram showing her applying lipstick – with the brand names obscured.
It’s a ‘tell-tale sign’ she may be gearing up to promote her own range, industry sources said.
One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘On her Instagram reel, the make-up lined up on her dressing table was unbranded or had the brand labels obscured, which felt deliberate. That’s a tell-tale sign Meghan has something in the pipeline.
‘The fact she didn’t want to promote or reveal any other brand is a big clue that she’s gearing up to promote her own range eventually – it is a sign for industry insiders.’
In New York last week to collect a ‘humanitarian of the year’ award with her husband Prince Harry, the duchess spoke about her desire to build a ‘long-lasting business empire’ after Netflix downgraded its multi-million-pound deal with the couple, with hints that her cooking show, With Love, Meghan, will not return.
Meghan Markle, pictured last week in Washington, is said to be planning a range of lucrative make-up products to boost the fortunes of her lifestyle brand, As Ever
Rumours of the Duchess of Sussex’s venture spread after she posted two clips on Instagram, one of which is pictured, showing her applying lipstick with the brand names obscured
That series tied into the launch of her As Ever brand, which has so far focused on elegantly packaged artisanal food products.
But it is unclear how much profit the business is making because sales figures have not been released.
A source said: ‘Meghan’s cookery never really took off, but it has at least launched her as a lifestyle influencer.
‘The word in New York is that her eye is already onto the next big thing and that’s why she met Vogue editor Chloe Malle during her trip to the city.
‘What makes big money, like really big money? Make-up, of course.
‘She could make a lot more money in beauty than selling pots of jam.’
The source added that make-up is largely about ‘high-end packaging – the product itself is quite cheap to produce.
‘So the mark-ups are huge and there’s potential to make big numbers on sales. Meghan clearly has a flair for packaging, so it would be a natural progression.’
Other sources point out that Meghan’s friend Daniel Martin is a make-up artist and accompanied her to Paris, where she schmoozed with former Vogue editor Dame Anna Wintour.
While in the French capital for Fashion Week, Martin also posted a now-deleted video about Meghan’s make-up look.
That prompted one beauty expert to suggest that he could be mentoring Meghan.
As well as Ms Gomez, other celebrities who have proved make-up can be hugely profitable include Victoria Beckham, singer Rihanna, Kardashian sibling Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber, the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin.
