Meghan Markle plans to follow in Victoria Beckham’s footsteps and build a beauty empire, sources say after she dropped hints she’s further expanding her As Ever brand
07:00, 26 Oct 2025Updated 08:29, 26 Oct 2025
Meghan isn’t afraid to go it alone on her quest for success, sources say(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Her Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, may have failed to impress, but it appears this setback has done little to derail the Duchess of Sussex’s plans to expand her brand. With her latest venture – believed to be her own make-up and beauty range – Meghan is taking inspiration from pop star-turned-fashion and beauty mogul Victoria Beckham.
Ever since stepping down as a working royal and moving back to the US in 2020, Meghan, 44, has been keen to establish herself in the lifestyle arena. “Meghan has always been strategic when it comes to brand building,” PR expert Dermot McNamara tells OK!. “The US has embraced her as a lifestyle tastemaker and launching a beauty line would be a natural next step. In many ways, she’s channelling the blueprint of women like Victoria Beckham and the Kardashians, who’ve turned their personal image into global empires.”
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Meghan might be launching her own ‘mega-brand’, a la Victoria Beckham(Image: Getty Images for Fortune Media)
Last week, rumours began circulating that Meghan is on the cusp of launching what’s been dubbed a “mega-brand” after she was pictured with the business powerhouse behind Kim Kardashian ’s multi-million dollar SKIMS range.
British-born entrepreneur Emma Grede, who has appeared on TV’s Dragons’ Den, shared snaps of the Duchess at a high-profile, all-female dinner summit in Los Angeles, where guests quaffed Meghan’s own As Ever Sauvignon Blanc.
In recent weeks, Meghan has been dropping hints that she’s preparing to dip her toe into the world of beauty, posting clips of herself applying lipstick – but with the brand name concealed. Dermot says it’s a savvy move to drip-feed beauty content to the public.
“By doing her own make-up and showing it online, she’s repositioning herself as relatable, hands-on and creative, all traits that resonate with beauty audiences in 2025,” he explains. “Fans buy into personality as much as product and Meghan is taking ownership of both.
“From the blurred product shots in her reels to references to her ‘signature glow’, she’s clearly positioning herself as a self-made entrepreneur rather than a royal adjunct. It’s smart, modern and completely in tune with the American consumer.”
Meghan attended Paris Fashion Week in early October, and some saw it as a shift in direction for her brand(Image: Getty Images)
Meghan teased her followers with a recent ‘Save the Date’ post(Image: @meghan/Instagram)
While the Duchess’s TV ventures have tapped heavily into her royal connections – notably husband Harry, 41 – sources say the mum of-two is eager to go solo with her business projects.
“She’d love for Harry to be involved in whatever she’s doing, but that’s not how it’s played out, so this is something she’ll have to do by herself,” a source tells OK!. “She’s prepared to go it alone and will stop at nothing to make a success of As Ever.”
Meghan set the wheels in motion for her latest business idea more than a year ago, when As Ever registered a trademark application with a view to marketing “skincare, cosmetics and fragrances”.
According to our source, Meghan – whose other role model is actress-turned-lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow – has taken note of former Spice Girl Victoria’s success and now wants a slice of the beauty pie for herself.
“She’s witnessed what Victoria has done, how she’s built her brand and how it’s been a huge success for her,” says PR guru Lynn Carratt. “Meghan is a fan of Victoria and has worn her clothes before, so I think she’s keen to see if there is a public appetite for a make-up line. She has a large following in the USA, so whether you love her or loathe her, people will buy her beauty products.”
Victoria Beckham’s beauty brand offers a range of luxury makeup products(Image: Getty Images)
Meghan wants to be taken more seriously in her own right and she’s been busy. Earlier this month she made her Paris Fashion Week debut, alongside Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, before heading to the Project Healthy Minds gala in New York, where she and Harry collected the Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Two weeks ago she was in Washington DC for the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, speaking about the importance of “financial independence”.
“She’s mixing in fashion and beauty circles and building contacts in the industry,” says Lynn. “I think we’ll see her more and more at Fashion Weeks going forward.”
Lynn also cites Kylie Jenner as a likely inspiration, which could explain Meghan’s recent appearance with SKIMS co-founder Emma Grede. “We’ve seen how well Kylie Jenner’s done with her make-up range – becoming a billionaire,” says Lynn. “So I think Meghan is looking at these people and thinking, ‘I can do that.’”
Our expert says Meghan could be trying to emulate Kyle Jenner’s success(Image: No credit)
While Lynn admits Meghan’s previous projects have been “a bit inconsistent”, she thinks beauty could be the way forward.
“From a PR perspective, she has something she could make a great success of,” she says. “If she can adapt As Ever to make-up, beauty, fashion, she’s got the makings of something.
“She’s determined to make a success of her brand and she has enough confidence to believe she can do it,” says our source. “She’s not blind to the fact that her popularity is in the US. She doesn’t need a royal seal of approval there and she’s determined to succeed.”
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