Is Natasha Archer taking a leaf out of Meghan’s playbook?,
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking the glossy black and white snaps of a woman in a sleek blazer, with quotes about ‘creating something elevated’ were of Meghan Markle, borrowing more Silicon Valley style speak to promote her honey and jam.
But look closer and you’d realise that this promo is far from Montecito shores. Rather, it’s all for new brand set up by Kate’s ex right hand woman – who worked with the royals for more than 15 years.
The Princess of Wales’ former PA certainly appears to have taken a leaf out of the Duchess of Sussex’s playbook, launching an Instagram to promote her new style consultancy with cream backgrounds and musings on ‘focusing on the details’.
Even Natasha’s logo – a self stylised cypher of her initials, NA – have an ‘As Ever’ flair to them, channelling the same aesthetic as Meghan’s palm tree emblem.
Both also tout stripped back, monochrome social media feeds, featuring plenty of trendy millennial beige and ‘candid’ photography.
This week, Natasha – whose new business launches tomorrow – shared a black and white snap of herself in a modern office, with a collaged mood board in the background.
‘It begins with understanding,’ she wrote. ‘Is refined through detail and brought together to create something elevated.’
The musings are not dissimilar to Meghan’s regular posts about wanting to ‘elevate the everyday into the exceptional’ through her products.
‘I always knew that I wanted to turn these ideas into something real, and to make beautiful items that spark connection and celebrate quiet, meaningful moments,’ she has said of As Ever – inviting customers to ‘‘mimic the magic of Montecito in a way you can recreate at home’.
In February last year, the Duchess had even shared a very similar looking mood board, which served as the inspiration for As Ever.
Much like Natasha’s, which features product snaps as well as aspirational photos of champagne glasses and fashion runways, Meghan’s included pictures of food, as well as inspirational quotes.
It wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Natasha to have been inspired by Meghan; as last year, she unfollowed several Instagram accounts after royal fans noticed she was following some of the Duchess’ inner circle.
Natasha made her Instagram public after quitting her job at Kensington Palace last summer, after more than a decade of working for The Firm.
She had started off in a role working for Prince Harry and Prince William before becoming Kate’s righthand woman.
After making her Instagram public, sleuths found that Natasha was following both Meghan’s Instagram account and As Ever, the former royal’s new lifestyle brand.
Natasha was also following Meghan’s make-up artist Daniel Martin, her close friends Abigail Spencer, Delfina Blaquier and Heather Dorak as well as various blogs and fan accounts dedicated to the Duchess of Sussex’s fashion.
She has since unfollowed dozens of accounts but still follows Sarah Rafferty, Meghan’s co-star on Suits and Emma Grede – a guest on Meghan’s podcast.
It is understood the Prince and Princess of Wales have wished Natasha the very best for a new chapter after their years-long association.
Natasha began working for the Royal Family in 2010 when she was appointed a personal assistant to both Prince William and Prince Harry.
After William’s wedding to Kate, Natasha also began reporting to the then-Duchess of Cambridge before becoming the future Queen’s most trusted aide.
Over the years, she became an integral part of the private household – with Kate seemingly rewarding her loyalty with a promotion last June.
The Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Natasha stepped into the role of senior private executive assistant to William and Kate, following reports she personally collected The Princess of Wales from the London Clinic after her abdominal operation earlier this year.
After that, the mother-of-two was brought into the innermost circle of trusted friends and family members supporting Kate through her cancer journey. The Princess announced she is in remission from an undisclosed form of cancer last September.
Mother-of-two Natasha – who is married to royal photographer Chris Jackson – has been by Kate’s side for some of her biggest life events of the past decade, from royal births and her cancer treatment to overseas tours.
Despite her high-profile job, Natasha has managed to stay mostly out of the spotlight – but still appears to be unwavering in her support of the Princess.
Natasha has been such a trusted member of staff that she was one of a select few who visited the Princess of Wales after she gave birth to her three children at the Lindo Wing in London.
In July 2013, the stylist was seen entering the hospital to give Kate the blue polka dot Jenny Peckham dress they had chosen for the public appearance after the birth of Prince George, now 11.
A source told The Telegraph: ‘She was seen arriving at the Lindo Wing following the birth of Prince George with a hanger bag, presumably containing the blue and white polka dot Jenny Packham dress which Kate then wore to give the world its first glimpse of the future King a few hours later.’
What’s more, the two women both welcomed sons in 2018 – with Kate giving birth to Prince Louis in May and Natasha announcing the arrival of Theo in December.
In 2014, she was promoted to the position of Kate’s personal stylist and was said to be the mastermind behind the Duchess’ wardrobe for the Cambridges’ successful tour of Australia.
According to Grazia, Natasha was brought in to make Kate’s wardrobe look more ‘regal’ as per the late Queen’s request.
A source told the fashion magazine: ‘Natasha’s main role is as a PA, but over the last few months she has assisted Kate as a style adviser.
‘Natasha and Kate get on very well. She has always supported and advised Kate – and the Duchess loves Natasha’s style, so it seemed like an obvious appointment. Natasha has been helping Kate pick outfits for the [New Zealand and Australia] tour.’
At the time, it was reported that Natasha often shopped online for Kate’s wardrobe – particularly from ASOS and Topshop.
Following the success of the Australia tour, it has been reported that Natasha started encouraging Kate to experiment more with her wardrobe.
In 2016, Natasha also joined Kate on her tour of Canada – and was responsible for some of her most glamorous looks from the trip, including a bright red Preen cocktail gown.
In 2019, the mother-of-three was highly praised for her style during her historic royal tour to Pakistan along with her husband Prince William, but her ‘secret weapon’ stylist Natasha Archer had a large part to play.
It was Natasha who introduced Kate to much-loved Pakistani designer Maheen Khan after finding her designs at O’Nitaa, in London’s Chelsea Green, and getting in touch with the 74-year-old to create some custom-made pieces for the royal.
In 2017, Natasha married Chris Jackson – who is the royal photographer for Getty.
As well as curating Kate’s wardrobe and helping with her diary, it was reported that Natasha, a Jenny Packham devotee, was ordered to spruce up Prince William’s ‘estate agent’ style.
For the tour of Canada, the then 29-year-old stylist – known to friends as Tash – added linen jackets, and sweaters from J Crew, Jaeger and Reiss, her favourite high street label.
Natasha reportedly assured the Prince, then 34, that she was merely helping him to ‘edit’ and ‘freshen’ his wardrobe.
In 2018, Natasha was invited to become a member of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of her services to the Royal Family.
