Here’s Why Meghan Markle Renewed the Trademark For Her Lifestyle Blog The Tig
Could she be resurrecting the site she shuttered in 2017?
Before she became Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle ran a popular lifestyle blog called The Tig where she posted everything from favourite recipes to travel stories to personal reflections. She shut down the site in April 2017, just a matter of months after the news of her relationship with Prince Harry became public. (Their engagement was announced six months later in November.) “After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig,” she wrote at the time. “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.” Markle also deleted her social media accounts in January 2018.
This week, speculation that she might be resurrecting The Tig swirled when her business manager Andrew Meyer filed documents in the United States for Markle to keep the rights to The Tig until 2021. A palace spokesperson has since denied the rumours, telling People that there are “absolutely no plans to relaunch The Tig,” adding that “the lasting trademark is to prevent false branding, to avoid others purporting to be the Duchess or affiliated with her.”
While that makes sense as a cautionary measure, the fact that her manager reportedly also trademarked “TigTots” is a particularly interesting move. Could a kids-focused spin-off to her site be in the works?
“Of course it’s understandable she wouldn’t want an entrepreneur using the name without her involvement,” a source told The Sun. “But given her desire to be a different type of royal — pushing her own causes using digital and social media — it’s not out of the question she’d think The Tig could play an important role.”
Markle may have been the first royal to guest-edit an issue of British Vogue, but others in her extended family have taken the media reigns in the past—Prince Charles has guest-edited Country Life twice (in 2013 and 2018) and the Duchess of Cambridge took over Huffington Post UK for a day in February 2016 to highlight children’s mental health. So if Markle does revive The Tig in a new-ish, royals-approved capacity, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise. But only time will tell.
 “After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it’s time to say goodbye to The Tig,” she wrote at the time. “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.” Markle also deleted her social media accounts in January 2018.
This week, speculation that she might be resurrecting The Tig swirled when her business manager Andrew Meyer filed documents in the United States for Markle to keep the rights to The Tig until 2021. A palace spokesperson has since denied the rumours, telling People that there are “absolutely no plans to relaunch The Tig," adding that "the lasting trademark is to prevent false branding, to avoid others purporting to be the Duchess or affiliated with her."
While that makes sense as a cautionary measure, the fact that her manager reportedly also trademarked "TigTots" is a particularly interesting move. Could a kids-focused spin-off to her site be in the works?
"Of course it’s understandable she wouldn’t want an entrepreneur using the name without her involvement," a source told The Sun. "But given her desire to be a different type of royal — pushing her own causes using digital and social media — it’s not out of the question she’d think The Tig could play an important role.”
Markle may have been the first royal to guest-edit an issue of British Vogue, but others in her extended family have taken the media reigns in the past—Prince Charles has guest-edited Country Life twice (in 2013 and 2018) and the Duchess of Cambridge took over Huffington Post UK for a day in February 2016 to highlight children's mental health. So if Markle does revive The Tig in a new-ish, royals-approved capacity, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise. But only time will tell. ){kind=link}