PR specialists say the Duchess of Sussex should focus on one area and build a strong team
The Duchess of Sussex intends to celebrate her birthday with "a chilled day surrounded by loved ones," according to a friend.
Once the festivities have passed, however, attention is expected to shift towards what lies ahead for Meghan Markle.
In the six years since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relinquished their roles as working royals, Meghan has pursued a wide array of projects, spanning television, podcasting, fashion and her lifestyle brand, As ever.
With her Netflix programme With Love, Meghan and her Spotify podcast Archetypes both having been cancelled, industry experts are now weighing in on what direction she ought to take next.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told Hello! that the duchess "remains one of the most talked-about women in the world and, love her or loathe her, she has an undeniable ability to attract attention."
He noted that this degree of public fascination is enormously valuable for broadcasters, demonstrating that her star power endures despite polarised opinion.
However, Mr Ede cautioned that audiences are still uncertain about what her lasting identity truly is: "Rather than launching another new venture, I'd like to see her focus on one area and build genuine authority."
The lifestyle space could work for the duchess, he argued, but only if it feels rooted in genuine personal experience rather than an aspiration towards perfection: "The strongest personal brands evolve steadily, rather than constantly reinventing themselves."
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski, meanwhile, believes the duchess can still find success in lifestyle media, provided she assembles the right people around her: "I would have another crack at getting it right with a good team to make documentaries and lifestyle TV that are really good and where Meghan can use her best assets."
He pointed to figures such as Barack and Michelle Obama and Sir Richard Branson, whose output is driven by top-tier production talent: "The quality has got to come from the team, not from what she thinks is good."
Mr Borkowski also stressed that the duchess needs "a strong relationship with a recognised retail partner" if lifestyle is to be her focus.
Crucially, he argued that mending ties with the Royal Family remains essential to bolstering the Sussex brand, something the couple appeared to begin last month when they brought Archie and Lilibet to see the King and Queen at Highgrove: "Meghan needs a critical friend who will advise her to eat humble pie and look at a gradual return to Britain."
