Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, unveils new lifestyles brand As Ever

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Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, unveils new lifestyles brand As Ever

2025-02-19 05:16 Last Updated At：05:21

MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — Au revoir, American Riviera Orchard. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has rebranded her fledgling company to As Ever just weeks after restarting her social media life under a new handle on Instagram.

Meghan teased American Riviera Orchard last year with jars of preserves. The new company has a fresh website she unveiled Monday with a rare photo of 3-year-old Lilibet, her youngest child with Prince Harry.

Lilibet is seen frolicking on a well-manicured lawn with her mother.

In a video posted to her new Instagram account, @Meghan, she said the name American Riviera, a moniker for her home turf near Santa Barbara, California, felt limiting in its support of locally grown and made products. She said she wants to include a wider range of goods under her new umbrella.

The news comes two weeks before the debut of “With Love, Meghan,” her lifestyles show on Netflix. Meghan said Netflix has come on board as a business partner as well. She called that development “huge.”

She said she chose the name As Ever in 2022. During her “Suits” years, she had a popular lifestyle blog, The Tig.

"As Ever essentially means as it’s always been and if you followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening. This is what I do and I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years. But now I can,” she said.

Meghan left Instagram when she got engaged to Prince Harry and spoke last year about the dangers of social media. Last March, a new account called American Riviera Orchard appeared on Instagram, saying it was created by Meghan. The unverified account included photos of a logo and link to a website to join a waitlist to learn more details.

Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registered the American Riviera Orchard name and sought trademark protection for a variety of goods and services. Those include textiles, cutlery, “jellies, jams; marmalades” and assorted food spreads. It also said the brand might feature “coffee services in the nature of tableware; tea services in the nature of tableware; serving ware for serving food and drinks; decanters” and other beverage ware.

The trademark application for American Riviera Orchard is still pending. An application extension was filed in November.

It appears paperwork for the “As Ever” trademark was filed in September, for similar goods and services as American Riviera Orchard.

The new company was filed under a different LLC than American Riviera. A spokesman for the couple, Kyle Boulia, did not immediately return an email Tuesday for additional comment.

Meghan fans, and her A-list recipients of her jams, shouldn't worry.

“Of course there will be fruit preserves,” she said. “I think we’re all clear at this point that jam is my jam. But there are so many more products that I just love that I use in my home. And now it’s time to share with you.”

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.