'As she turns 43, is Meghan finally on the path to post-working royal success?'

OPINION – In 2018, the world could not get enough of a fresh-faced newcomer to the British royal family – a former actress named Meghan Markle.

From the announcement of her engagement to Prince Harry in November the year before, there was an obsession with all things Meghan as those who never heard of her prior to that appearance in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace scrambled to know everything there was.

Six years on, the now Duchess of Sussex doesn't command the same adoration she once had, albeit briefly as sentiment towards Prince Harry's bride cooled quicker than their whirlwind courtship.

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But could things finally be looking up for Meghan?

Today marks the duchess' 43rd birthday (August 4) and with a number of projects bubbling away, after a series of duds (Spotify dumping her and Harry's lucrative contact early, Netflix scrapping plans for her animated series Pearl), Meghan might finally be on the path to post-working royal success.

After all, she is due for a shift in luck.

Recently, royal author Tom Quinn said the duchess feels "every move she makes is met with criticism" and she is "unfairly picked on".

Quinn said there was now "a growing rift between Harry and Meghan caused by Meghan's increasing concern that her life is not going in the direction she had planned".

He added the duchess "loves media attention and hates the fact that surveys suggest she and Harry are no longer of much interest to the American public".

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A YouGov poll from April on the most popular royals put Prince Harry and Meghan slightly above Prince Andrew, with just 31 per cent of the public having a positive view of the Duke of Sussex and 26 per cent for the duchess.

However, the younger generation had a more positive view of Harry and Meghan.

Unsurprisingly, the Princess of Wales was named the most popular royal with 76 per cent of the British public having a positive view of Catherine.

The Sussexes did themselves no favours when Prince Harry took aim at his sister-in-law in his memoir Spare, painting Kate as cold and distant, furthering the rift between the couple and the royal family, in particular Prince William who was said to be "furious" over how his wife was portrayed in the book.

The duchess' uncomfortable relationship with Kate, as detailed in Spare, has only furthered the anti-Meghan sentiment amongst many royal fans. Omid Scobie's 2023 book Endgame, which named Kate as the royal to question what colour baby Archie's skin would be (in a Dutch translation of the book), didn't turn the public against Kate.

If anything, many would have simply rolled their eyes assuming the accidental leak was another publicity-grabbing attempt by Camp Sussex to portray the royal family as bad.

But that was last year. So far, 2024 has been favourable to the duchess with the long-awaited launch of her lifestyle platform following a few high-profile appearances.

In February Meghan joined Harry for the one year countdown to the Invictus Games winter edition in Canada, an event which always produces happy photos of the couple mingling with veterans and their families.

The there was the Sentebale charity polo match in April, where Meghan looked every bit the royal wife as she presented the winner's trophy to Harry and his mates.

March saw Meghan reveal the name and logo of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, with its new website inviting supporters to join a waiting list to hear about about "products, availability and updates".

The Instagram page showed off the brand's logo which reminded many of Meghan's royal cypher, a cursive M topped with a crown.

The following month saw a clever marketing ploy involving Meghan's celebrity friends who were sent one of 50 jars of strawberry jam, dutifully promoting the products to their legion of followers on social media.

The brand is yet to have a proper launch, with the website still inviting those interested to join a waitlist to hear more about other products including cookbooks, homewares and speciality goods.

In May, the Sussexes made what many called a mini royal tour to Nigeria (also in support of the Invictus Games) but one crafted very much on their own terms. Gone was the travelling media pool, replaced by a chosen reporter from People and a photographer from Getty.

The tour offered Meghan the chance to embrace her heritage (she thanked the locals for "welcoming me home") to show off her fashion credentials with a number of outfit changes, opportunities for smiling selfies and overall positive coverage.

Meghan's most recent public appearance saw her support Prince Harry when he controversially received the Pat Tillman military award for his contribution to public service, recognised for his achievements while in the British Army and for the creation of the Invictus Games.

Days out from Meghan's birthday, several sources close to the couple spoke to People magazine claiming the long-running feud with the royal family could be solved with one simple move.

An unnamed friend told the publication that if the matter of security were resolved it could be "swords down" between the Sussexes and his family, with Harry believing his father could intervene in the matter.

Meanwhile a former staffer at the couple's Archewell Foundation told People Meghan wishes Harry "could let go of these lawsuits" and "live in the moment".

Although Meghan knows that "his love" for her and their children is the reason for him pursuing legal action over their security, they said, she wants her husband to be "free of all of this".

The magazine's story has echoes of a cover story People ran in 2019, less than a year after the royal wedding, when five of Meghan's close friends used the magazine to "stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about our friend".

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Perhaps this latest interview is Meghan's attempt to start afresh by signalling her desire for Harry to move on from his legal battles.

Or at least, show to the world that she wants distance herself from such matters.

So, is it time to give Meghan another chance at a public relaunch? To let her properly begin this new chapter as a lifestyle brand entrepreneur, years after being forced to shut down her popular website The Tig before marrying Harry?

She is due to front a new Netflix series, announced by Archewell Productions, that will "celebrate the joys of cooking & gardening, entertaining, and friendship".

Meghan has "curated" the show, likely filmed in part at their Montecito mansion, but it's yet to have a release date or proper name.

I, along with millions of others, will be tuning in for Meghan's cooking show when it eventually gets an air date, not just out of curiosity but also because I love cooking.

Let's just hope there are no more digs at the royal family.

So far what we have seen from American Riviera Orchard – jam and Meghan in a promo clip arranging flowers and wearing a ballgown – is far from thrilling but let's hope it's just the beginning of something with more substance.

Instead of criticising Meghan's lifestyle brand, and everything else she does just because...let's try and give it a go.

We might be pleasantly surprised.

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