With Christmas approaching, Meghan Markle is making sure her As Ever brand is capitalising on all things festive.
Her first-ever Holiday Advent Calendar, created in collaboration with LA chocolatier Compartes and priced at $148 (AUD211), became available for pre-order this week. However, it also marked Buckingham Palace released their substantially cheaper chocolate advent calendar priced at £12 (AUD2.80).
Meghan’s luxurious advent calendar features 24 chocolates inspired by As Ever’s signature spreads and the Sussex family’s Montecito home and garden with a countdown number in the Duchess’ own handwriting.
Meanwhile the Buckingham Palace product makes nods to royal residences Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, on a Christmas tree topped with a crown and flanked by two palace guards.
But the Duchess of Sussex is on a roll and has also released the ‘Holiday Collection’ baskets that rivals Buckingham Palace’s many hampers.
The Pantry Basket, The Parlour Basket and The Hostess Basket are all available to purchase. The latter features a luxurious leather As Ever tag with gold lettering and comes pre-filled with peppermint and lemon-and-ginger tea caddies, three spreads, her signature flower sprinkles and scented candles, Buckingham Palace offer a range.
However the hampers are very similar to the 11 offered by the Buckingham Palace shop.
The signature royal hamper contains an assortment of sweet and savoury favourites, including Strawberry Preserve, two different flavoured shortbreads and a Buckingham Palace keepsake mug.
Royal insiders can’t help but notice just how similar the Duchess of Sussex’s products are to that of the royal family’s and it’s not the first time this has raised eyebrows.
“Meghan can flutter innocent ‘it’s a coincidence’ eyes all she likes, but this isn’t the first time this has happened,” our source spills.
“From the King’s jam to the Princess of Wales Christmas special – even ousting William and Kate from the 2026 Aussie tour list, this is just the latest in what seems like a long line of ‘steal their thunder’ projects.”
What’s more, there’s confusion amongst royal circles as to why Meghan could be mimicking the products from a commercial standpoint.
“The Royals don’t understand why she doesn’t have ideas of her own – and why she would line herself up so obviously against their already established centuries-old brand. There’s no way Meghan’s calendar is worth three times the amount – she’s only going to humiliate herself, not only with sales, but by taking on the Royals on their own turf.
“Does she want to establish a brand or just coat-tail sales on the back of the Royals? None of it makes any sense – especially from a business perspective.”
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