Meghan Markle pays subtle tribute to Prince Harry in As Ever promo showing two 'profoundly connected' palm trees - after their Netflix deal was 'downgraded'

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Meghan Markl e seemingly paid tribute to her relationship with Prince Harry in a mushy promo post for her lifestyle brand As Ever - while simultaneously plugging its rosé wine.
Late on Monday night, a new post on the business's official Instagram page showed the silhouette of two palm trees against the backdrop of a pink-hued sky as the sunset in California.
'When a rosé sunset matches your pour…' the caption read.
The post appeared to be a subtle reference to one of Meghan's earlier interviews when she revealed how palm trees are connected to her and Prince Harry's love story.
Speaking to The Cut in 2022 while giving her once-favoured outlet a tour of the Sussexes's Montecito mansion, Meghan said the couple were drawn to the property because of the two Dr. Seussian palm trees that grew right in the center of the lawn.
'One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,' she said, as the latest As Ever post appears to feature the tall palms that Meghan was referring to.
'See how they're connected at the bottom? He goes, "My love, it's us."'
Meghan revealed that their then-three-year-old son Archie would even talk to the trees like they were his parents.
She continued: 'Now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, "Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa."'
Meghan also gave a sweet nod to her romance with Prince Harry when she unveiled the logo of her lifestyle brand As Ever back in February.
While announcing she had rebranded her earlier lifestyle venture American Riviera Orchard to As Ever, the Duchess posted an image of the design that features a palm tree with two hummingbirds hovering on either side of it.
The hummingbirds in the logo may also have a connection to Harry's family, as he previously wrote in his memoir Spare that a hummingbird 'got into his house' right after his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022.
The Prince said he thought it might be a 'sign' and even pondered about resurrection.
'Soon after our return, a hummingbird got into the house. I had a devil of a time guiding it out,' recalled the 40-year-old, who is an avid bird watcher.
'A mate said: "Could be a sign, you know?" Aztecs thought [hummingbirds] reincarnated warriors. Spanish explorers called them "resurrection birds."
It comes as Meghan suffered an awkward moment when Khloe Kardashian forgot to tag the Duchess in an Instagram story about As Ever.
Khloe, 41, shared snaps from sister Kylie Jenner's 28th birthday party over the weekend, which included a deluxe hamper from the former working Royal's luxury brand.
The hamper included bottles of wine, preserves and an array of vegetables - with Kardashian seemingly forgetting to tag Meghan in the post.
Meghan delightedly reposted the snap writing 'Hey hey, all my girls with a K' but fans called out the famed family's failure to acknowledge Meghan.
One wrote: 'When you send something over cuz you have to miss the party, except Meghan was never invited to the party.
Another quipped: 'The pr team did everything on both sides. These ladies don't do s**t.'
Others wrote: 'What were the Kardashians going to do with this catastrophe?
'My girls with a K? Is she 9? The Kardashians would probably hate it.
'And yet, Khloe doesn't even follow meghan's personal or as ever Instagram accounts…. But Khloe does follow Martha Stewart.
'Kardashian followers won't give that basket a second thought - it looks like a gift from a grandma - MM doesn't even know who her own customer is, or what they are interested in - I doubt she knows what Khloe's followers are interested in either.
'In my opinion, it's a paid advertising. Nothing is an accident with Kardasians. Khloe was within Markle's budget. It's quite telling Khloe doesn't follow Markle or As ever.
'I just watched a video where Kris said they post no products unless they are getting paid for it. The pay is over six figures per post. So for this is happen on a birthday Meg must have paid a fortune.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to a Kardashians representative for comment and has yet to hear back.
Earlier this month, Meghan marked her 44th birthday with a special word of thanks to her husband Prince Harry.
She shaered a photo of herself with closed eyes, as she blew out the candles on her birthday cake, on her Instagram account.
'Blowing out the candles on a beautiful 24 hours, and thanking my husband, friends and family for making it so special,' she captioned the celebratory post.
'To those of you I don't know, but who send love every day — thank you so much. Please know I feel it and appreciate it ❤️,' she added.
Meghan joked that she was going to 'get a little foodie on' her fans when she revealed that her party was held at the acclaimed restaurant Funke in Beverly Hills, which has became a popular spot for stars including Kim Kardashian, Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez and Matt Damon, among many others.
It comes amid reports that Harry and Meghan have signed a new 'multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects' with the streaming giant - understood to be worth less for the pair than their previous contract.
The 'first-look' arrangement means Netflix can say yes or no to new film or television projects before anyone else - allowing them to pick and choose what they invest in.
PR expert Mark Borkowski described the new deal as a 'downgrade', claiming it falls a long way from the jackpot figure of Harry and Meghan's original contract in 2020.
He told the Daily Mail: 'I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn't deliver, and they've taken that deal off the table, and they've given them a modest one.
'It's not like they're gradually uncoupling – it's a downgrade. Netflix are not going to expose themselves to those budgets again. It's Netflix saying, "Let's have a look at your content, but we'll pick and choose, mate".'
He believes the pair will be paid for each production selected by Netflix rather than receiving an overall fee, such as the reported $100million of their first deal.
'I would be surprised if it's not pay-as-you-go and it's well, well below that first mark,' he added.
The couple's new output will include a second season of the Duchess's 'With Love, Meghan' lifestyle show later this month, as well as a Christmas special in December.