Meghan turns to famous friends to help sell her As Ever range: Royal sets up her first ‘shop’ in wealthy pal’s bookstore on day her return to acting was revealed

Meghan Markle has been leaning on her famous friends to help shift her As Ever products while attempting to re-launch her career as an actress. 

The Duchess announced the first ‘pop-up store’ for her brand via an Instagram Reel showing her personally arranging the products at Godmothers bookshop, just a stone’s throw from her Montecito mansion.

Her wealthy neighbours will now be able to snap up Meghan’s fruit spreads and candles from the events’ space on the first floor of the store, which just so happens to be run by her close pals, literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson.

The announcement came on the same day the royal’s cheerleader Oprah plugged As Ever’s Fruit Spread Gift Box on her annual ‘Favorite Things list’, which Meghan has gushingly described as ‘the season’s quintessential guide to gifting’.

To capitalise on Oprah’s endorsement, As Ever was quick to send out a celebratory e-mail with a discount code for 10 per cent off the ‘beloved spreads’ – the first time she’s offered money off her products. 

It prompted royal watchers to question the sudden input from Meghan’s pals, with one writing on X: ‘She is not shifting her subpar products, so they are helping her out.’ 

A second added, ‘Since she couldn’t sell out, she’s stuck staging her rack at a bougie store.’ 

Hours later, it was revealed that Meghan is to return to acting and will make a cameo as herself in a new film, Close Personal Friends, alongside Lily Collins, Brie Larson, and Jack Quaid.

Meghan is best known for her role as Rachel Zane in the hit US TV-drama Suits, but also had Hollywood roles in Horrible Bosses, Get Him To The Greek and Remember Me.

She was also once a ‘briefcase girl’ – one of the models who hold the suitcases full of cash – on the US version of Deal Or No Deal. 

Prince Harry is said to be supportive of ‘whatever brings her joy’, but as a source recently told the Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff, the Sussexes seem to be ‘throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks’.

A return to acting is just the latest career foray for Meghan who trying her hand at being an entrepreneur, an influencer, a philanthropist, a TV star and a producer – although her big money deal with Netflix was recently downgraded. 

There are also rumours that the Duchess could be set to launch a Kardashian-style ‘mega brand’ after she was spotted cosying up to the British Dragon’s Den star who masterminded Kim’s hugely popular Skims range.

Multi-millionaire Emma Grede shared a flurry of posts featuring Meghan as the ‘star guest’ at her Los Angeles dinner on Instagram last month.

Later in the day, Meghan arranged As Ever products to sell at Californian bookshop, Godmothers

There was plenty of products on offer at the store, which is run by her close pals, literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson

PR experts speculated the posts were an indication that Prince Harry’s wife is leaning on the business woman’s years of expertise ahead of launching a new venture.

Andrews believes a pursuit in the hospitality sector is on the cards, saying: ‘I can see her moving into hospitality more generally, and if she manages to do that, I can absolutely see her becoming a billionaire.’

While Andrews has predicted hospitality, PR experts have claimed that couture or makeup are also possibilities for Meghan.

Rumours of a potential new venture for the Duchess spread last month after she posted two clips on Instagram showing her applying lipstick – with the brand names obscured.

It’s a ‘tell-tale sign’ she may be gearing up to promote her own range, industry sources said at the time.

One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘On her Instagram reel, the make-up lined up on her dressing table was unbranded or had the brand labels obscured, which felt deliberate.

‘That’s a tell-tale sign Meghan has something in the pipeline. The fact she didn’t want to promote or reveal any other brand is a big clue that she’s gearing up to promote her own range eventually – it is a sign for industry insiders.’

In New York just weeks ago to collect a ‘humanitarian of the year’ award with her husband, Prince Harry, the Duchess spoke about her desire to build a ‘long-lasting business empire’ after Netflix downgraded its multi-million-pound contract with the couple to a ‘first-look’ deal.

So far, As Ever has focused on elegantly packaged artisanal food products – but it is unclear how much profit the business is making because sales figures have not been released.

Days after her appearance in New York, experts suggested Meghan could be set to launch a Kardashian-style ‘mega brand’ after she was spotted with Ms Grede, who is also the driving force behind Khloe Kardashian’s successful Good American brand.

The Duchess was photographed attending Emma’s vegan banquet, which celebrated women ‘owning their power’ and helping ‘each other get s**t done’.

As the world waits to see what Meghan’s rumoured new business venture will be, PR experts speculated that Ms Grede’s posts could be the biggest indication yet.

Sources close to Ms Grede have ruled out an official collaboration, but PR guru Chad Teixeira believes their blossoming friendship could be a sign that Meghan is leaning on her years of expertise.

He said: ‘Meghan Markle’s appearance at Emma Grede’s Los Angeles dinner series is far too strategic to be a coincidence.

‘The timing is significant and there’s growing speculation that Meghan is preparing to launch a fashion line, and Emma Grede, who has built billion-dollar brands like Skims and Good American, is exactly the kind of collaborator who could help her do that successfully.

‘When you look at the imagery and social media content surrounding the event, it’s clearly not just a casual dinner.

‘The visuals are polished, professional, and designed to frame Meghan and Emma as equals within the same creative space.

‘That kind of staging doesn’t happen by accident, it’s a soft-launch strategy we often see in PR when something bigger is on the horizon.’

Experts have also speculated that using the unrivaled expertise of a woman trusted by the Kardashians would be appealing for Meghan, who has repeatedly shown her fondness for the famous family, from sending matriarch Kris Jenner an As Ever press package to later featuring the ‘momager’ on her Instagram story.