Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard hit with new blow as Colombia tour costs revealed

Meghan Markle’s luxury brand has suffered a major setback as the jaw-dropping cost of her Colombian tour with Prince Harry is made public.

Meghan Markle’s much-hyped lifestyle brand has been hit with a new blow after she tried to claim ownership of the entire American Riviera in a trademark application.

In a setback for the Duchess of Sussex’s new passion project, US officials pointed out the wording of her brand is a common nickname for the ritzy Santa Barbara in California, The Sun reports.

Meghan’s team also failed to sign the application and failed to send enough cash, the newspaper claims.

Meghan Markle smiles during the Responsible Digital Future forum in Bogota, Colombia. Picture: AFP

The failed application, filed by a top lawyer under Meghan’s Mama Knows Best LLC firm, asked for legal protection to exclusively trade using the name American Riviera Orchard.

Meghan has now been told she can’t have exclusive rights to ‘American Riviera’ as it is a “geographic place or location”.

She now has three months to amend the request or it will be removed from the register, The Sun reports.

One of the pricey jams on offer from American Riviera Orchard.

Dog biscuits are also in the line-up.

Meghan made her move into the lifestyle arena by setting up an Instagram page earlier this year, which showed off her regal gold logo featuring ‘ARO’, and the word ‘Montecito’, where she and Prince Harry moved after stepping down as working royals and leaving the UK.

It came as the jaw-dropping cost of Harry and Meghan’s four-day tour for Colombian taxpayers was revealed.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their controversial tour of Colombia. Picture: AFP

The tour was slammed by a Colombian politician as “wasteful”. Picture: AFP

According to official figures from the vice-president who invited the Sussexes, the tour cost nearly $A90,000, taking in security and transport costs.

The figure was released by Colombia’s vice-president Francia Marquez after a request by her opponent, Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal.

Ms Cabal previously branded the quasi-royal tour in August as “showmanship” and “wasteful spending”.

But the figures also showed that Harry and Meghan paid for their own flights and accommodation in Bogota as well as general expenses.

MEGHAN’S AGENCY SPARKS WHATSAPP ROW

The talent agency representing Meghan Markle is at the centre of a global controversy after one of its executives responded to the murder of six Hamas hostages by saying: “Screw the left kill all”.

WME agent Brandt Joel posted the comment on what’s been described as a pro-Israel WhatsApp group with work employees over the weekend.

The group is believed to have included WME’s CEO Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood agent who represents the Duchess of Sussex. The Duchess is not a member of the group.

Joel was reacting to the news of the death of the hostages – including an Israeli-American – after someone shared President Joe Biden’s official statement on the incident.

Meghan Markle’s talent agency is embroiled in a firestorm. Picture: AFP

In screenshots of the group chat obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, WME’s Nancy Josephson and Katie Slater remark on the tragedy of the killings.

Joel then texted in response to the news, “Screw the left kill all.”

THR quoted a source as saying that Joel deleted the message a few minutes later.

However a number of his workmates upset with his comment took a screenshot and shared it with the media.

According to The Wrap, one source said: “Everyone [was] messaging each other asking what’s wrong with him.”

Brandt Joel and Renee Zellweger during the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Picture: WireImage

Katie Holmes, Brandt Joel and guest. Picture: WireImage

Joel, whose clients also include Justin Timberlake, Matthew McConaughey and Jason Momoa, was previously in the US Navy and served in Iraq before becoming a talent agent.

Meghan inked a deal with WME last year as she turned her focus on production and brand partnerships.

The Duchess of Sussex inked a deal with WME, joining the likes of Rihanna, The Rock, Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg on the roster of one of entertainment’s most sought-after firms.

The six hostages found dead in a Gaza tunnel in a propaganda video shared by Hamas before they were shot dead.

Meghan becomes a “crown jewel” in WME’s stable of celebrities, with Variety reporting the Duchess will be personally represented by Brad Slater, the architect behind Dwayne Johnson’s brand, Jill Smoller, the long-time agent of Serena Williams, and Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, which owns the UFC.

In addition to stars like Wahlberg and Theron, mega agent Emanuel has repped filmmakers, producers and presenters including Martin Scorsese, Aaron Sorkin, and Oprah Winfrey

While WME will also assume representation of Archewell, the content label of Ms Markle and Prince Harry, it was reported that the Duchess would focus on production and brand partnerships rather than a return to acting.

In an interview with Variety last year, Meghan spoke about moving on from the content they’ve released since signing deals with Netflix and Spotify, which leaned into their battles with the royal family for Harry & Meghan, and social issues with Archetypes.

WME has not commented on the matter.

Originally published as Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard hit with new blow as Colombia tour costs revealed