When the Duchess of Sussex posts photos of her children Archie and Lilibet, there’s an inevitable outrage cycle where many royalists claim that Prince Harry “hates” that Meghan posts their children’s photos and something something wHaT abOUt PRivAcY. I love how Meghan and Harry really shut out that noise – they rarely even show their kids’ faces, but they’re both incredibly proud of their children and their family. I’ve long believed that Harry is behind the camera for nearly all of the intimate family photos Meghan posts with the kids. Well, for International Women’s Day, Meghan posted this Instagram above, with the message: “For the woman she will one day be…Happy International Women’s Day.” The photo credit? “Papa Sussex.” Oh god. We’re about to get another round of “how dare Meghan use the Sussex title to monetize IWD on Instagram!!!” Jesus.
Meanwhile, this weekend, the Sussexes confirmed their plans to visit Australia next month. Meghan is already scheduled to appear on an Aussie podcast and she will likely appear at some kind of festival or something. The Australian trip confirmation came on the heels of the news about As Ever’s split with its silent partner Netflix, and there’s a lot of gossip about Meghan’s plans for an international As Ever expansion. Some people connected the two stories to suggest that the Australian trip would be part of an As Ever expansion into the Australian market. Well… GB News got an exclusive statement from Meghan’s spox:
Meghan Markle’s spokesman has rubbished reports of As Ever launching in Australia as “speculation”, adding that “no decisions have been made”.
It comes as ITV reported that the Duchess of Sussex was setting her sights on Australia as the first international market for her lifestyle brand, thereby bypassing the UK entirely.
Meghan’s spokesman exclusively told GB News: “This is speculation. No decisions have been made about when or where international expansion might take place. Entering new markets is a considered process, but it’s something the brand is excited to explore as it continues to grow in this next phase. Watch this space.”
I don’t know! I have no insider information, but given that As Ever has already sourced some wine from the Oz/New Zealand area, it doesn’t sound that crazy. It actually sounds like the natural first step towards expansion, to try it out first in Aus/NZ. Incidentally, following the confirmation of the Oz trip, I thought we’d see a 72-hour rage cycle from you-know-who. I’ve been shocked by the lack of angry briefings, but maybe we should give it a minute.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram and As Ever’s Instagram.
