I refuse to call the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upcoming visit to Australia a “tour.” It is not a tour, royal or otherwise. They are visiting Australia for work and pleasure. We already know that Prince Harry will speak at some kind of conference, and that Meghan will appear at a “girls’ retreat” weekend. In between freaking the f–k out about the girls’ retreat, many royalists have been passionately crying about Meghan potentially launching As Ever in Australia. Last week, NewsNation did some digging and found that Meghan had already successfully trademarked As Ever products in Oz. I believed that story, and I theorized that Meghan might do some kind of pop-up As Ever store in Sydney or Melbourne, because that would be a cute way to introduce her product line abroad. Well, Meghan’s rep heard about the trademark story and issued a statement:
Is Meghan Markle’s As ever brand headed to Australia as she plans her visit Down Under with Prince Harry?
PEOPLE confirmed in early March that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to Australia in April, visiting to participate in several private, business and philanthropic events.
After that update came, The Telegraph, Daily Mail and more noted that Meghan, 44, filed applications for 12 Australian trademarks for her As ever brand in September 2024 and received approval for them in June 2025.
However, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan said the registration is nothing new. When reached for comment by PEOPLE, the spokesperson said that Australia is “one of many” jurisdictions where As ever is registered.
Australian Government IP department’s records show that Meghan’s As ever brand has secured trademarks for skincare items, pet products, candles, gardening tools, downloadable media including motion picture films, TV series, video podcasts and educational classes, seminars and workshops, jewelry, stationery, furniture, yoga gear and hospitality services involving food, drink and temporary accommodation.
Another trademark record for As ever shows that it has registered outdoor decor, craft supplies, edible spreads like jams (the signature item from Meghan’s lifestyle line), sauces, non-alcoholic cocktail mixes, alcoholic beverages excluding beers, internet broadcasting, content creation and non-downloadable software where customers can personalize printable stationery.
Confirmation that the trademarks exist and that Meghan sought and received trademarks in “many” countries… interesting. And this isn’t a denial that Meghan will launch As Ever in some way in Oz either. I will die if she really does a pop-up shop, that would be so cute. Anyway, it seems clear that despite all of the hand-wringing and pearl-clutching over As Ever’s first year in operation, Meghan is already making plans for international expansion.
Meanwhile, I’m not going to devote a stand-alone story to this, but the Daily Mail claims that a “perfect storm is threatening to sink Meghan and Harry’s tour.” That perfect storm? Derangers signing a melodramatic petition, and some weirdness around the girls’ retreat. My gut is telling me that the girls’ retreat might have been a tad poorly organized, but there was simply no way to know that the entire Deranger Media Complex was going to expend this much energy trying to derail the retreat out of spite. Well, all of us in the cheap seats knew it would happen, but it came as a shock to the retreat’s organizers. I feel sorry for all of the Australians who really just wanted to welcome the Sussexes peacefully and hang out for a bit.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
