GMB guest says Meghan’s decision to stay home ‘is both admirable & inspiring’

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has reportedly been given a trademark to relaunch her defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig. According to the application, Meghan intends to post articles about “food, cooking, recipes, travel, relationships, fashion and style”, maintaining the same content the site originally garnered its success from. The site, which was first established in 2014, could potentially make millions upon its comeback — and according to some royal commentators, The Tig’s relaunch is inevitable.

Speaking on the most recent episode of their podcast Royally Obsessed, hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito speculated about Meghan’s future career prospects, focusing primarily on the once-popular lifestyle blog.

Ms Bowie said: “Meghan is in a new place in her life. She’s starting to have all these different editorial initiatives like Archetypes and things like that,” indicating The Tig may soon be another addition to the Duchess’s portfolio.

Ms Fiorito added: “I just feel like it has to be coming back because of the copyright and the trademarking patents that have been filed.”

Although the site has been shut down for six years, Meghan has repeatedly renewed The Tig’s trademark.

For instance, in 2019, it was continued to prevent “false branding, to avoid others purporting to be the Duchess or affiliated with her,” a spokesperson for the Duchess told People.

The Duchess shut down the site in April 2017, saying farewell to her loyal readers in a final message. “After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig,” she wrote.

“What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity.

“You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy. Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being ‘the change you wish to see in the world’.”

It came just months ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry, in November 2017, and when rumours about her forthcoming exit from Suits were surfacing.

At the time, reports that the site’s shutdown was in relation to the royal romance were brushed off, with those close to Meghan claiming the decision was triggered by her desire to focus on philanthropic pursuits.

However, as Ms Bowie explained, The Tig’s content was “providing a tonne of fodder for the British tabloids at the time”.

In the Sussex biography, Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand confirmed the shutdown was due to the intense media scrutiny Meghan was under.

“The site didn’t just go dark it was deleted,” Ms Bowie said, referring to the press attention on the Sussexes. “We all know how that played out.”

After its launch in 2014, The Tig was on track to become “the next Goop”, the lifestyle and wellness brand launched by actress Gwyneth Paltrow in 2008, according to Cosmopolitan.

Named after her favourite Italian wine, Tignanello, Meghan said a sip made her understand “what people meant by the body, legs, structure of wine”. It was “an aha moment at its finest”, she wrote on the blog. The wine, therefore, became her shorthand for the feeling of suddenly understanding something, thus her site was devoted to “those Tig moments of discovery”.

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Though the site remains closed, it has become a source of fascination for royal watchers, with the blog recreated by fans for others to explore.

Its deletion marked the end of an era for the Duchess, who bid farewell to her “passion project” before marrying into the Royal Family.

Upon her marriage, Meghan became a working member of the Royal Family, who take tax money from the British public and are therefore unable to run commercial enterprises. The Tig, which reportedly made Meghan $80,000 (£60,000) a year, had to be closed down.

Meghan, who — alongside her husband — stepped down from the Firm in 2020, no longer works on behalf of the Royal Family and has since pursued several commercial ventures including a podcast, a children’s book and Netflix series.

Both she and Harry have openly admitted their desire to control their public images since leaving royal life and moving overseas.

During her interview with The Cut last year, Meghan said: “There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota.

“Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child? You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game.”

During Harry & Meghan, the couple’s Netflix documentary series which aired in December 2022, she stressed the importance of “telling her own story”.

Now, an expert has said The Tig’s comeback could be the perfect way for the Duchess to gain greater control over her reputation.

PR specialist Jordan James previously told Express.co.uk: “Ultimately, if done right – meaning every action is done with careful forethought and consideration – I believe there’s every chance for Meghan Markle’s beloved lifestyle publication ‘The Tig’ to not only make headlines (for the right reasons) but thrive once more too, hopefully going some way to help her gain control over her public image.”

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