Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, once taught gift wrapping at a Paper Source while auditioning for acting roles. The American-born former actress, who played Rachel Zane on the legal drama Suits, said at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that founding her As Ever brand has taken her back to her roots in the most unexpected way.
“That’s not the full circle I was expecting, but here we are,” she said in an interview with Fortune’s editor-in-chief, Alyson Shontell.
This year, she launched her lifestyle and homemaking brand called As Ever, with Netflix as her sole investor and partner. With a deep love and passion for tactile goods, her brand sells items like jams, flower sprinkles, and teas. The Duchess hinted more tactile products could be in the mix in future, and she has also expanded her media presence with the Netflix show With Love, Meghan and the podcast series Confessions of a Female Founder, both of which launched this year.
Formerly Meghan Markle, she became a member of the British royal family in 2018 upon her marriage to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex—an event watched by millions around the globe. She also ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig, before her marriage.
Considering the scrutiny Meghan faced during the early days of her relationship and marriage to Prince Harry, she has quite a complex relationship with social media.
“Look, I have had a very complicated relationship with social media, as you can probably imagine,” Meghan said. “[But] I also recognize the role that it plays in business.”
Meghan had taken a hiatus from social media, only rejoining in January during the launch of As Ever. She’s continuing to develop a social media plan that works for her, her family, and her business.
One tactic she’s used is turning off comments on social media posts, because “a lot of those people aren’t going to my page to see negativity,” she said. It’s “not just protecting myself or the people that work with me, but also the supporters.”
But to continue to grow the community, Meghan shares handwritten notes with supporters.
“Let’s find small and creative ways to engage the community and let them know that I’m listening, that I really see and appreciate their feedback,” she said. “A lot of it is just designing what works best for you, while also being really cognizant of what [is] going to help grow the business with an intentional and authentic point of view.”
Duchess Meghan’s dedication to women in business
Meghan has long focused on women’s rights and feminism. At age 11, she wrote a letter protesting what she called a sexist television commercial by Procter & Gamble for Ivory dish soap, which stated, “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.” She was motivated to speak out against the message and wrote a letter to P&G, then–first lady Hillary Clinton, women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, and news anchor Linda Ellerbee. Meghan suggested they change the phrasing in the ad from “women” to “people.”
She also delivered a high-profile speech at the UN on gender equality in 2015 and remains active about social and political issues like paid family leave and reproductive rights. Meghan also invests in female-led companies and says her investment approach is more like a “dolphin tank” than a “shark tank,” meaning her way is more friendly and supportive.
Her media ventures—Netflix projects, the end of Spotify’s Archetypes, and subsequent brand resets—have been prominent moments within the high-stakes economics of Hollywood deals and audience perception.
Historically, Fortune has featured her at its Most Powerful Women platform to discuss online toxicity, civic engagement, and tech accountability, a thread that continues in coverage of her and Prince Harry’s calls for platform policy changes at Meta.
