During a public appearance in Sydney this week, lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart pointedly avoided commentary on Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and her recent foray into the consumer goods market. The moment occurred when a journalist raised the topic of the duchess’s newly launched line of preserves.
Stewart, the veteran authority on homemaking, offered a brief, firm dismissal before moving the conversation along. “No, I’m not going there,” she stated, according to reports from the event.
This interaction follows weeks of public discussion comparing the two women’s ventures. Observers have recently noted similarities between a one-pan pasta recipe featured by the duchess in a digital series and a longstanding recipe published by Stewart. The webpage for Stewart’s recipe was later updated to include the phrase “The original and best!”, a move some interpreted as a subtle rebuttal, though the timeline of the update remains unclear.
Online commentary has been divided, with some critics accusing the former actress of lacking originality, while others have questioned the significance of the comparisons. Stewart has not publicly addressed these claims directly.
The duchess’s lifestyle brand, which initially faced trademark challenges, recently launched its first products after several years of development. Industry observers have long noted her ambition to build a significant presence in the lifestyle sector, a space dominated by established figures like Stewart. The duchess previously curated a now-defunct lifestyle blog before her royal marriage.
Stewart’s refusal to entertain the topic underscores a preference to focus on her own work rather than engage in public discussion about potential rivals.
