Meghan Markle and headlines are an inseparable pair, like tea and biscuits. Fresh off a Vancouver appearance at the Invictus Games with Prince Harry, she remains the subject of breathless chatter, for it would be a terribly odd day if the Duchess of Sussex went unmentioned. After a very busy month, Markle left no time to rest as she started to work on her brand revival. 

With a grand brand revival in motion, she had every intention of transforming her former darling, The Tig, into a polished lifestyle empire. But, alas, a naming debacle has thrown a wrench into her plans. 

Meghan Markle’s latest act in the grand theater of branding was As Ever, now dressed up in homewares, jams, and gardening shears. With Netflix cameras poised and a new empire in the making, the relaunch seemed destined for a triumphant return, until, according to The Sun, a small vintage clothing shop owner shared As Ever is his shop's name, been so for almost eight years now.

Mark Kolski, a one-man operation with no legal team in his corner, now found himself up against a duchess with a war chest, “I’m a very small business, it’s a family-run operation." he said. Kolski insisted he will not be changing his company’s name and was “exploring all possibilities”, but without a trademark, the battle looks more symbolic than winnable. He held on to the belief that common law rights protect his brand, yet the reality of going head-to-head with a royal enterprise looms large. For now, he clings to public support, hoping that in a world of branding, goodwill would fold in the face of a well-funded rebrand.

Meghan Markle’s As Ever Launches Ahead of Netflix Series Premiere

This is not the first time that the Duchess of Sussex has come under fire for plagiarism, and, coincidentally, the most recent of these are related to her brand revival.

Meghan Markle’s brand As Ever has faced a series of plagiarism accusations, adding to a growing list of controversies. Her speeches, once hailed for their powerful messages, have been accused of mirroring those of figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, which raised suspicions of copying. As if that was not enough, her As Ever logo has now come under fire for being too similar to the coat of arms of Porreres, a small Spanish town. Not to mention, her Netflix project, With Love Meghan, seems to be a plagiarised version of Emma's Kitchen, the list goes on and on.

With Meghan Markle balancing her involvement, being a constant support to Prince Harry during the Invictus Games, a major brand relaunch, and an upcoming Netflix series, it is clear she has a lot on her plate. Some might see the plagiarism accusations as inevitable for someone so high-profile, while others may question whether these repeated controversies are a result of oversight or a pattern of borrowing inspiration too closely. One thing is for sure, the world will be watching her closely, the same as usual.

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