Meghan Markle has been accused of capitalising on her former royal life to promote her lifestyle brand’s new festive collection.
Ahead of the launch on Tuesday afternoon, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared a clip of her working at her laptop and perched on her desk was one of her new $64 candles and a blue notebook with her royal cypher embossed in gold on the cover.
The monogram – made up of the letter M with a crown on top – was unveiled ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
But Meghan – who walked away from her royal duties in 2020 to live in Montecito with the Duke of Sussex and their two children – has been accused by fans of ‘cashing in’ on her connection to the Royal Family to boost interest in her Christmas range.
‘Another example of Meghan putting her royal cypher on pretty much anything, you can see it on her notebook in the latest Instagram story,’ an X user wrote.
‘I rather think that was the point. Pretty difficult to sell a candle for that price if it’s not royal,’ another insisted.
Meghan’s festive collection plays heavily on her time spent in the Royal Family, with her Signature Candle No. 519 paying tribute to her wedding day to Prince Harry.
A gushing description on her website claims it ‘evokes the freshness of a day in the English countryside and harks back to the Duchess’ ‘cherished memories’ of her May 19th, 2018 nuptials in Windsor.
But Meghan’s show of royal links has failed to impress fans, with one person writing online: ‘For the life of me, I do not understand her obsession with all things royal.
‘It means absolutely nothing to me as an American. I find the Royal Family interesting, but have no desire to have a royal title.’
A second added: ‘It’s pathetic at this point. If you must remind everyone you’re connected to royalty, you’re not royal at all.’
‘Old money vs new money, real aristocracy just don’t do that. Who wants to bet even her toilet roll has it on,’ joked a third, while other critics labelled Meghan’s use of the royal insignia as ‘cringey’, ‘pathetic’ and ‘vulgar’.
Another added: ‘Because she knows that without it it’s just a stupid candle, and the only promotion she can offer is to include something royal somewhere on the screen.’
It’s not the first time that Meghan’s showed off her royal monogram, with the Duchess having sent headed paper embellished with her cypher before to the likes of influencers and authors.
She’s also sported a gold signet ring engraved with her and Harry’s royal cypher, a nod to their connection to the monarchy despite their departure from royal duties.
Thought to have been made by royal warrant-holding British jewellers Bentley & Skinner, the piece features a cursive H and M, which are topped with a coronet with two cross pattées, four fleurs-de-lys and two strawberry leaves.
The couple’s royal monogram was designed following their marriage in 2018 and was used on their previous Sussex Royal website and social media accounts.
She flaunted the ring at the 2025 Invictus Games at the Vancouver Convention Centre on February 09, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
On Tuesday, Meghan revealed her first Christmas collection with As Ever – including two candles inspired by her wedding date and her August 4 birthday and a 2021 Vintage Napa Valley Brut, costing $89.
Adding to her range of fruit spreads, Meghan also launched a new strawberry flavour, which comes as part of the Signature Fruit Spread Gift set, priced at $42, alongside a jar of orange marmalade and raspberry.
The new gift set comes in an As Ever box – a seemingly sharp U-turn from the former individual spread packaging, which drew comparisons to a ‘perfume’ or ‘candle’ package online, leaving people baffled.
In March, shoppers received their long-awaited pots in a very elaborate white case, which was almost twice the size of the product itself.
On social media, people were left confused by the design, expecting it to contain a completely different item. Others expressed environmental concerns over the amount of packaging used.
Elsewhere, the duchess also added a $32 Sage Honey With Honeycomb to her festive collection, which is said to ‘hold a special place in Meghan’s heart’.
Beekeeping has become a favourite pastime for the mother-of-two, and in May, she shared a clip of herself and her daughter Lilibet harvesting honey before cutting out a slice of honeycomb and storing it in a jar.
However, shoppers shouldn’t confuse their As Ever honey with a jar harvested by Meghan, because though she relishes the honey gathered from her homegrown apiary, her two hives likely won’t produce enough of the sweet stuff to sell commercially.
The new collection also included a Hot Toddy Mulling Spice Kit and a Spiced Cider Mulling Spice Kit, and Meghan advised shoppers that both are best enjoyed with company.
In addition to the $16 price point, the kits require shoppers to purchase either their alcohol of choice for the hot toddy or, for the spiced cider, a pot of apple cider to add the spice packets to.
