At the end of a year in which she and her spouse engaged in a contentious egress from royal affairs, Meghan Markle has announced, for the first time in public, that she has dipped her toe into the private sector with an undisclosed personal investment in Clevr Blends – a vegan-coffee start up.

The six-person Santa Barbara company – which is overseen by co-founder and chief exec Hannah Mendoza, and whose HQ is in close vicinity to Montecito where Markle and husband, Prince Harry, reside – deals in instant wellness lattes and has been self-funded until this point. In a statement to 

, which first reported the news, Markle emphasised that she will continue to back female-founded firms, which gained only 2.7% of venture capital funding last year.

“This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritises building community alongside her business,” Markle said. “I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and [that] has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her, and I believe in her company.”

But this isn’t the first time a member of the Royal family has forayed into business projects beyond the gilded ecosystem of functions, duties and ribbon cutting. Below, we take a look at the ventures – famous and infamous – that’ve preceded Markle’s inaugural flutter.

“I love the razzmatazz of show business; it’s a wonderful world of fantasy and make-believe,” declared Prince Edward, in 1987. Following his role as Sid the Sword Seller in a university play, snagging a position at Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company (it is hearsay that making a cuppa was the most imaginative thing the royal could do) and overseeing his own stage-show production firm, The Theatre Division (which collapsed a year after launch), Edward fulfilled his long-term ambition of entering the sphere of television by launching Ardent Productions in 1993.

The company – whose name Edward said evoked “ambition, motivation and strength” – received £200,000 from the prince himself, as well as a further £700,000 from a motley crew of investors that comprised the likes of Michael Kirkham, of DFS fame, Kwik-Fit’s Tom Farmer, and a number of unnamed international backers. (The Sultan of Brunei is said to have slid his chips across the table.)

Although bagging an interview with Nelson Mandela early doors, the company had squandered just shy of half-a-million pounds by end of year one. “There was a culture of dining out at expensive restaurants. He thinks it’s normal to stop production for a big lunch rather than just grab a sandwich,” said ex-Ardent worker Christine Carter. “Tea would be brought to you in little china cups.”

Despite the workplace banquets, the entertainment on offer was not so digestible. Amongst a buffet of ham-fisted productions, highlights included a miniseries on the upperclass sport of real tennis – otherwise dubbed the “game of kings” – which is played only by a minor demographic; Edward on Edward, a documentary on the prince’s great uncle, Edward VIII, and his left-of-field life following his 1936 abdication; and one programme that failed to correctly list the order in which Henry VIII married his wives. Army recruitment call-for-actions were also often jimmied into advertising breaks.

There was, however, some warmth felt stateside. Around the time of release for 

, a documentary led by the queen’s youngest son in which he took the viewer on a tour around famed British landmarks, US agent Ben Silverman claimed Edward was comparable to Churchill and Walter Cronkite. While in office, George W. Bush asked for a White House screening of 

, an Ardent film set during the epoch of Vichy France.

But, after years of financial and creative decay, Edward’s doomed project folded in 2009. When details were revealed two years later, it was reported that investors were left with £40.27.

The Prince of Wales was ahead of the organic food game long before the flock of tote bag-slinging Veja-wearers made it fashionable. Founded in 1990 in order to popularise the virtues of organic farming and food, Duchy Originals has since become a staple label in the cupboards of those who see their selection of Farrow & Ball shade as more of a personality than a colour choice; catalogue their 

 shirts according to hue and might consider the M&S label a bit too plebby for their fridge.

When it first began, Duchy Originals sourced its produce from Home Farm, the heir-to-the-throne’s estate in Highgrove, Gloucestershire, whose system of operation turned completely organic in 1985. The first product in its line was a pack of oaten biscuits, which now retails at £1.68. “In farming, as in gardening, I happen to believe that if you treat the land with love and respect then it will repay you in kind,” Charles said to 

Following years of struggle to peddle its luxury items, the firm was thrown a buoy in 2009 by Waitrose, which offered a multi-million-pound investment in return for exclusive selling rights for the company’s products.

It was announced this summer that Charles will not be renewing the lease on his 1,000-acre farm – as a new 20-year agreement would likely coincide with him ascending the throne – but will, according to a Clarence House spokesman, “continue to farm organically at Sandringham,” which he will turn into a sheep farm.

Founded in 2014, Prince Andrew’s – oh, Prince Andrew… – Pitch@Palace venture, his mentoring programme aimed at connecting fledgling businesses with advisers and mentors, seemed perfectly good in principle.

But, given his ties with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and all the wrongdoings that are said to have come with the association – not to mention last November’s complete wreck of a BBC 

 interview in which he tried to explain his inability to perspire – the company has distanced itself from the Duke of York, removing his name from its website and switching offices from Buckingham Palace to a new HQ. Standard Chartered, Barclays and KPMG have also pulled support from the initiative.

It was reported earlier this year that Pitch@Palace was taking the first part of 2020 to “refresh the brand”. There has since been no update and it remains unclear if the prince will play a role in the incubator’s future.

Earlier this year, the Sussexes signed a multi-year agreement with 

 to produce children’s shows, films and series for the streaming behemoth, a move which echoes the deal that the Obamas made in 2018. It is unlikely that Markle, a former actor, and Prince Harry will star in any of the shows, but they may make cameo appearances in some documentaries.

“Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens,” the couple said.

Although the minutiae, including financial details, hasn’t been disclosed, it is safe to assume that both will refrain from soliciting uncle Edward’s advice.

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