'Obstinate' Meghan Markle to 'Follow in Princess Diana's Footsteps' With This 'Headstrong' Move

Meghan Markle launched her new lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard, on the same day as the Diana Award as a subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. The Duchess of Sussex was thrust onto the world stage when she entered the royal fold after marrying Prince Harry. As per The UK Express, Darren Stanton, a body language analyst, claims that Markle is gradually asserting her independence, emulating Princess Diana after taking a step back from royal duties.

Stanton noted, "When Meghan was first brought into the Royal family, it elevated her status to a global scale. She holds great precedence with Princess Diana. She represents a lot of strength in first joining the royal family and then stepping away. She followed her heart and what she cared about over everything else. There are lots of parallels between them and I get a sense Meghan wanted to follow in her footsteps. They both share a passion and drive to help others."

He continued, "The fact that Meghan is launching a new lifestyle brand tells us she’s in a good place and feels motivated. It’s a natural transition for her to embark on. Meghan has a voice and wants to use it in a good positive way to help women feel empowered and heard in today’s society." He added, "She has a real skill in connecting with people effortlessly. She has a huge following and there is a clear interest in what Meghan does with her life going forward.”

He concluded, "I believe Meghan will go from strength to strength when building her new brand. It’s been a turbulent few years, but now she’s returning with a purpose that gives her fulfillment - and has found her feet in finding the right path she wants to go down. Her new brand will give her that boost of inner confidence and power that she’s been searching for."

On the other hand, royal expert and author Tom Quinn feels differently. He opined that Markle is simply milking Diana's legacy for her advantage. “It’s really significant that Meghan‘s new American Riviera Orchard brand was launched on the same date as the Diana Award – Meghan has always seen herself as Diane’s heir. She sees herself as suffering because of the media, just as she feels Diana suffered, but on this side of the pond at least, there will be a huge amount of criticism that she is just trying to cash in on Diana’s legacy,” he exclusively told The UK Mirror. 

As per The UK Mirror, another royal expert however insisted that the Duchess was in fact 'putting the brakes' on the global rollout of her brand because she didn't want to appear to be 'cashing in' on her royal title. Meanwhile, Kinsey Schofield asserted that Markle paused her global launch as it would appear insensitive after King Charles' cancer diagnosis. “Meghan knows that if she appears even remotely opportunistic while the royal family has a cancer cloud hovering, she will be vilified, and it will result in another very public professional failure,” she said.