(Credits: Mark Jones)

Since signing a lucrative five-year first-look development deal with Netflix in 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven’t exactly been pumping out exclusive content.

So far, only three projects have made it onto the streaming service, and all of them are docuseries: Harry & Meghan was the first out of the gate, and it was eventually followed by the Heart of Invictus doc, which followed the titular sporting competition, and Live to Lead, which shines a spotlight on the world’s most inspiring leaders.

However, in April 2024, it was announced that two new productions were in the works, and they would follow on in the documentarian vein. The first was a cooking series to be directed by Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown veteran Michael Steed, and the second would offer what Netflix called “unprecedented access to the world of professional polo” to “pull back the curtain on the sport.”

That was almost eight months ago, and concrete updates have been few and far between since then. That said, a royal commentator has intimated that Markle’s cooking show has hit a bump in the road, even though production on the series was said to have wrapped this past summer.

The Netflix original will reportedly coincide with the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, but Maureen Callahan claims the show has been pushed back and won’t premiere until the spring of 2025, with the issues stemming from the difficulties in securing trademarking for her new company.

“There’s a lifestyle brand called Harry and David that has just filed a patent issue with the US Patent Office,” she said. “They are claiming that her company is a little too close to a product of theirs that is named something like similar but she’s all she’s got yet another issue getting this thing off the ground.”

Trademarking can often be a long and arduous process for any new entity, especially when a high-profile figure like Markle is involved. In the summer, the US Patents and Trademarks Office is said to have notified her legal team that there were issues pertaining to various items tied to the brand, including the classification of products like yoga blankets, picnic baskets, and recipe books.

Presumably, the cooking show’s launch is tied directly to the launch of American Riviera Orchard with the idea of cross-pollination in mind, so it would be fair to assume the former won’t settle on a release date until the issues surrounding the latter have been resolved. Even then, it still doesn’t have an official title yet, so Markle’s latest Netflix offering could be a long way away from making it to the screen.