Meghan Markle has faced a wave of criticism after unveiling a luxury advent calendar from her lifestyle brand As Ever, with some social media users questioning whether 24 chocolates justify its £112 price tag.
The Duchess of Sussex launched the limited-edition Christmas product on Thursday, with the calendar inspired by her Montecito home and garden.
The box features an illustration of the California property and carries the message, “A magical celebration of the season.” Inside are 24 handcrafted chocolates, described by the brand as being designed to “sweeten each day” and inspired by the Montecito garden.
But the product quickly became a target for critics online, with several users focusing on its price.
Meghan Markle has released her new advent calendar (Image: As Ever)
Critics question the price
One user on X compared the £112 calendar with a cheaper royal-themed advent calendar, writing: “$148 for 24 mid chocolates! [laughing face emoji] only Meghan could think that was a winning strategy.”
Another claimed that a Royal Collection shop advent calendar was available for £12, with profits going to charity, before contrasting it with Meghan’s product.
Other comments questioned whether customers would actually be willing to spend $148 on the calendar.
Meghan Markle’s advent calendar costs £112 (Image: As Ever)
One user wrote: “I don’t think that many will actually buy it. And if it sells out it’s only because her rich friends are trying to save her from total embarrassment.”
Another asked: “Who in the Sam Hill would spend $148 on this? [clown emoji]”
A further critic wrote: “You’re kidding, right??? Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money for chocolate?”
The comments reflect individual reactions on social media rather than an independent assessment of the product’s value or sales performance.
What is inside the As Ever calendar?
The new advent calendar features chocolate (Image: As Ever)
The limited-edition calendar was created in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartes and was made available for pre-order through the As Ever website.
It is priced at $148, equivalent to around £112.
According to the product description, the chocolates draw on California ingredients and include flavours associated with As Ever’s strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade spreads.
The collection also includes a chocolate finished with Meghan’s signature flower sprinkles and a Compartes dark chocolate ganache truffle.
Each of the 24 chocolates is marked with a countdown number in what the brand describes as Meghan’s personal handwriting. The numbers are hand-painted with edible gold luster.
The calendar itself is designed as a keepsake, with the packaging inspired by Meghan’s Montecito home and garden.
The product is not currently available for delivery to the UK. As Ever, whose range also includes flower sprinkles, jam and wine, is currently shipping only within the United States.
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Meghan features in the promotional campaign
Meghan was also featured prominently in promotional material for the new product.
In a post shared by As Ever on Instagram, she was shown sitting on a window seat in a neutrally decorated room and opening one of the numbered doors on the calendar.
Earlier footage showed Meghan driving a golf buggy alongside Jonathan Grahm, chief executive of Compartes.
The clip was captioned “Christmas planning in June”.
As Meghan drove along a path, she smiled and said, “Hang on,” while Grahm replied, “Stay tuned.”
The footage also included colourful sketches of the Montecito house and showed the Sussexes’ Labrador, Pula, carrying a soft toy shaped like an As Ever strawberry jam pot.
A luxury Christmas release
The advent calendar is part of the growing As Ever lifestyle range, with the brand presenting the product as a premium seasonal item rather than a conventional supermarket-style chocolate calendar.
Its design is closely tied to Meghan’s California home, while the chocolates incorporate flavours and ingredients associated with the wider As Ever brand.
The £112 price, however, became the central point of discussion among critics after the launch.
For now, the social media reaction consists largely of individual opinions, while the article does not provide figures showing how many calendars have been sold or whether the product has sold out.