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Is Meghan Markle quietly gearing up for a comeback to her lifestyle guru days? One royal expert seems to think so.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital that the Duchess of Sussex may be eyeing a return to her now-defunct lifestyle blog "The Tig" as early as this month.
A spokesperson for the former American actress, 41, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"I believe Meghan is planning on relaunching ‘The Tig’ in February," said Schofield. "Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow, Meghan launched ‘The Tig’ at the height of her ‘Suits’ fame. I think ‘The Tig’ perfectly aligns with Meghan’s ultimate objective, which seems to be being an influencer rather than a royal."
After Meghan Markle began dating Prince Harry, she shut down her lifestyle site, "The Tig," in 2017. (TheTig.com)
"'The Tig' trademark was filed again in February of 2022 by Meghan’s team, with whispers of a Feb. 14, 2023, launch," Schofield said. "Valentine’s Day is a special date for Meghan as it was the day the Sussexes announced their pregnancy [with their daughter] Lili. It was also the day Princess Diana confirmed she was pregnant with Prince Harry."
Markle shut down her lifestyle website months after she started dating Harry in 2017. The site – aimed to share Markle’s personal reflections as well as her passions for food and travel – was created in 2014. Its name is inspired by the Italian wine Tignanello.
"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.’ Above all, don’t ever forget your worth – as I’ve told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough. Thank you for everything."
In 2019, Markle's business manager filed documents in the U.S. to keep the rights to her site until 2021. This prompted speculation that the duchess was relaunching it. However, a palace spokesperson said at the time that there were "absolutely no plans to relaunch ‘The Tig.’"
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Kinsey Schofield believes Meghan Markle hasn't forgotten her passion project. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if the Duchess of Sussex could be quietly planning a relaunch. (United States Patent and Trademark Office)
"The lasting trademark is to prevent false branding, to avoid others purporting to be the duchess or affiliated with her," the spokesperson added.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. At the time, they cited what they saw as the media’s racist treatment of the duchess and a lack of support from the palace. After moving to California, Markle launched a podcast titled "Archetypes" in 2022, which topped Spotify charts around the world. In December, the couple’s six-part Netflix documentary was released. On Jan. 10, Harry’s memoir, "Spare," shattered the record for the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.
Markle was noticeably absent while Harry led a media tour to promote his book. Schofield suspected the mother of two was purposely lying low as she prepares to launch her own solo project.
"A successful lifestyle and digital brand would put Meghan in the same categories as Paltrow, Jessica Alba or even Kim Kardashian," Schofield said. "The idea would be to brand everything around a property that existed before Meghan marrying into the royal family to give the appearance that Meghan has success on her own. The reality is, Meghan will be given incredible opportunities because of her proximity to the royal family."
Gwyneth Paltrow has successfully made her mark as a lifestyle guru with Goop. (Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images for Goop / File)
Shaliz Sadig Romano, a co-managing partner of Romano Law, told Fox News Digital that the trademark filings don’t reveal an official launch date. However, there is "an intent to use."
"It’s a bona fide intention to use the trademark in commerce," she said. "I don’t think she would go through this trouble of getting all the paperwork together, hiring an attorney, paying the filing fees and going through this process if she doesn’t truly have an intent. But sometimes people file with an intent and things change, circumstances change. That just reflects reality. Sometimes people are using a mark, and then after a year, their business doesn’t survive, they sell it or something happens. It is the language – it is a bona fide intent to use the trademark. I would think that if she’s doing this, that is the intent."
"It does seem that she is doing this in anticipation of reviving ‘The Tig,’ whatever that form may be," Sadig Romano continued. "It might be a revamp, but it seems that she has interests in doing all kinds of things with the next chapter of her career."
The file shows a "published for opposition" date of Valentine’s Day. However, Sadig Romano said that this date doesn’t signify a launch date of any kind. The date, she said, is "an interesting coincidence," but is not in Markle’s control.
Meghan Markle lives in Montecito, California, with her husband, Prince Harry, and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images / File)
"That means an examiner has reviewed the application and doesn’t see any issues with it. So, it then goes to opposition, meaning then you open it up for any third party to come in and oppose it. For example, ‘I object to this registration. I think it’s going to cause confusion with my trademark.’ … Assuming that there is no opposition, then it would move toward the process of going towards registration because it is an intent to use. She cannot get registration until she shows use. That’s the final step for her, it would be to show that it is launched, it’s being used."
"If you’re not using [the trademark] yet, it’s smart to file the intent to use because you’re getting that application in before someone else does," she noted. "With trademarks, you really need to show that you’re using it, or you lose it. Feb. 14 is not a launch date. … But she could still announce it today. She could announce it on Valentine’s Day. She could just launch it. That would help her because it would show that she’s using the trademark in commerce."
Schofield said that a relaunch of "The Tig" could mean new possibilities for Markle to expand her brand as the couple has financially independent lives in California. She could be "a mini Martha Stewart" with a site that can go toe-to-toe with Paltrow’s Goop. Even a wine inspired by the site’s name wouldn’t be out of the question.
Meghan Markle dropped her successful Spotify podcast "Archetypes" in 2022. (Spotify)
"Tig 2.0 will likely feature mommy content," Schofield said. "Meghan’s animated series, ‘Pearl,’ was canceled by Netflix before it began … but if Meghan can build a mommy brand, then surely she could expand in that arena and find more opportunity there elsewhere."
"Meghan once aspired to have her own cooking series," she said. "'The Tig' would, yet again, give her that platform. Short-form digital videos that she could take to someone like Netflix and show them the analytics to plead her case for a bigger opportunity."
According to Schofield, a revamp would showcase Markle’s passion for motherhood.
"I would anticipate lists of Archie and Lili’s favorite books, go-to snacks, DIY projects," she said. "Candid entries about how she manages her time or stress; a five-minute makeup routine for moms on the go; mini meditations for busy moms; travel, interior design, interviews, those types of posts."
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry caused a stir when they attended the Invictus Games Toronto in 2017. The "Suits" star married the British prince in 2018. (Getty Images / File)
In August 2022, Markle teased to The Cut that she was "getting back on Instagram." But later in that same interview, the outlet reported that she was "no longer sure she would actually return to Instagram."
"Harry and Meghan have told us repeatedly through multiple projects that Meghan gave up everything for Harry," said Schofield. "Perhaps this is Meghan trying to reclaim her identity, telling the world that she is more than Harry’s plus 1."
The Sussexes are known for leaving the public in suspense. There was much speculation around the dates of their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s memoir. A lifestyle relaunch, if it were to occur, would be no different.
"Keeping all of their launches under wraps is their typical MO," said Schofield. "It allows the Sussexes to shift the goalpost without looking like failures. … If we don’t see a February release for ‘The Tig,’ it’s simply because the product is not perfect yet. But this is an important way for Meghan to brand herself beyond being Harry’s wife, and I believe it is a priority for her."
Is Meghan Markle quietly gearing up for a comeback to her lifestyle guru days? One royal expert seems to think so. (Gilbert Carrasquillo / FilmMagic / File)
And without the constraints of royal life, Markle would have the freedom and control to express herself.
"I don’t think ‘The Tig’ will be a controversial outlet," said Schofield. "She might get political, but we have come to expect that of her, so it has less of an impact. Perhaps the only way ‘The Tig’ could lead to her title being stripped is if she went full Gwyneth Paltrow Goop and released her own ... candle. Please don’t, Meghan."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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