According to former staff, Meghan Markle always signs off her emails with one instruction

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their tour of Columbia in 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are two of the most talked-about people in the world, and from their recent tour of Columbia to their movements towards peace with the rest of the Mountbatten-Windsors, they never fail to make headlines.

It is Meghan Markle who has made the most news in recent months, unveiling her new Californian lifestyle label, American Riviera Orchard.

The highly-anticipated brand is currently in its soft launch period, with the Duchess of Sussex gifting A-list friends a selection of its upcoming products, from homemade jams from Markle's own garden to organic dog biscuits. And when American Riviera Orchard does officially launch "later this year", its first public product is expected to be the Duchess' own line of rosé wine, accompanied by a selection of bar and hosting ware.

With "dozens of products" reportedly in the works, Markle's luxury lifestyle brand is predicted to be a major success, and the Duchess of Sussex is reportedly "busy working behind the scenes to prepare" for it.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaks onstage at The Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This new career move by Markle has unsurprisingly resurfaced conversation around her working habits, with the 43-year-old plagued by negative speculation in the past, due to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's high turnover of staff.

However, this week, one former employee came forward to defend the Duchess of Sussex, reporting that Markle tries hard to promote a healthy working environment, even signing off every email with one simple instruction.

According to the former Archewell employee, Markle discourages people from working outside of their designated office hours, with all of her emails ending with the statement: "My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside your normal working hours."

American Riviera Orchard is expected to launch later this year.

We will continue to update this story

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.