A Martha vs Meghan showdown could mean only one clear winner.
Duchess Meghan Markle’s company is a key part of her lifestyle brand launch.
But there have been hiccups along the way, with some of Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard promos seeming to shade or upstage the royal family. (Whoops!)
Now, it seems that Meghan may be going head-to-head with someone much more important than any monarch: Martha Stewart.
The incomparable Martha Stewart attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Issue Release and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024. (Photo Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)
Martha Stewart is an American icon
She’s a businesswoman, she’s a writer, she’s a television personality, and she’s besties with Snoop Dogg. She’s also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.
Martha Stewart has been a fixture in American culture for decades. So much so that many Millennials and Zoomers (albeit not those from New England) grew up assuming that Martha’s Vineyard was her property. (It is not)
This summer, she attended the Paris Olympics with Snoop Dogg — stepping in because, as she explained, the rapper is “scared of horses” and wanted emotional support while covering dressage.
Meanwhile, as you can see on the brand’s Instagram page, American Riviera Orchard is a brand new lifestyle brand.
As we have previously reported, the company’s early promotions and trademark applications seem to indicate that ARO will sell cookbooks, flatware and utensils, food like jams and preserves, soaps, fragrances, yoga accoutrements, petcare supplies including pet treats, home decor, and more.
In other words, Duchess Meghan Markle appears to be positioning herself to be a lifestyle brand guru. Is she hoping to become the next Martha Stewart?
Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, looks on as she attends a Sit Out with Britain’s Prince Harry (unseen), Duke of Sussex, at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in Abuja on May 11, 2024. (Photo Credit: KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
In a Martha vs Meghan competition, who comes out on top?
According to what an inside source tells Closer, Martha Stewart isn’t feeling worried about facing off vs Meghan Markle — if it comes to that.
“In true Martha fashion, she remains gracious yet firm, signaling she’s ready to defend her title,” the insider said of the lifestyle queen.
The source characterized: “She is not the pass-the-baton sort of person and will not hand over her crown without a fight.”
Mike Tirico, Martha Stewart, and Snoop Dogg pose on the set of NBCUniversal’s Primetime in Paris during the Paris ’24 Olympics on August 04, 2024. (Photo Credit: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
“It’s going to take someone with much more experience than a duchess who couldn’t handle doing the job in the U.K. to replace Martha!” the inside source then mocked.
In early 2020, after years of “leaked” smear stories against Meghan Markle, Prince Harry announced that he and his wife were stepping back from royal duties in order to live their lives on their own terms.
The Firm was clearly using distracting stories about Meghan to distract from salacious stories about William and Kate, and Harry didn’t want to see the same British tabloid frenzy that killed his mother end up claiming his wife, too.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a forum about digital responsibility at EAN University during a visit around Colombia on August 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: Diego Cuevas/Getty Images)
Are these two really going head to head?
We have to note that most people don’t necessarily associate Meghan Markle with Martha Stewart, let alone imagine a Martha vs Meghan winner-take-all competition.
There are many lifestyle brands out there. Perhaps the most infamous of them, at the moment, is Gwyneth Paltrow’s widely-ridiculed Goop.
Perhaps American Riviera Orchard can coexist with these and other brands. A pricey Meghan Markle jam sounds nicer than putting semiprecious stones in your orifices, but might not match the cultural import of a Martha Stewart cookbook.
Martha Stewart vs Meghan Markle: Only One Can Be The Ultimate ‘Lifestyle … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.