When the Duchess of Sussex released her first As Ever jam collection, numerous A-listers received a PR parcel.
Come her Mother’s Day collection, which was released yesterday and includes the £47 candles inspired by her children, the list of recipients appears to have been reduced significantly.
While Meghan’s A-list friends, including Kris Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and Zoe Saldana, received the Duchess’s PR parcels the first time around, it seems a select few with smaller followings are receiving the ‘Mother’s Day Edit’.
Among those who got the parcel is Meghan’s best friend, Kelly McKee Zajfen, who hailed the Duchess as the ‘best mama’ to her 43,000 followers.
Meghan’s close friend and Pilates instructor, Heather Dorak, who has 12,000 followers, and Today show editor, Adrianna Barrionuevo Brach, who has almost 7,000 followers, also received a parcel.
A select number of medium-level American influencers, including Carly (@mycityapartment), who has more than 460,000 followers, and Kristina Zias, with nearly 350,000 followers on Instagram, were also on the list.
The marketing materials for the two candles mention Archie and Lilibet’s royal titles, as Meghan unveiled Signature Candle No. 506, named after her son’s birthdate of May 6, and Signature Candle No. 604, an homage to Princess Lilibet’s June 4 birthday.
Carly shared a photo of the £115 box from As Ever, including gourmet chocolates, on her Instagram Stories and tagged Meghan’s lifestyle brand.
The Duchess of Sussex (pictured earlier this month during her trip to Australia) has seemingly only sent her As Ever Mother’s Day edit to a select few
Meghan’s best friend, Kelly McKee Zajfen, hailed the Duchess as the ‘best mama’ sharing a snap of the products
The box included a handwritten letter from Meghan, who said: ‘I developed the scents over the last year so that every note melded together to take me right back to a special memory with them.’
‘I can light the candle, close my eyes and I’m right there,’ Meghan’s message read. ‘The memorable moments of motherhood.’
The box also included chocolates from Los Angeles brand Compartes, as Meghan wrote ‘Enjoy every bite’.
‘Thank you for welcoming As Ever into your home, and for allowing us to not just be a part of your moments, but to be part of your memories,’ the letter read.
The scented candle for Prince Archie features ‘ginger, neroli, and cashmere’ in what appears to be a nod to her six-year-old son’s red hair, and promises to bring a ‘warm, comforting scent’ for a ‘soft familiar ease into the room’.
Meanwhile, the candle inspired by her daughter Lilibet, four, is made with ‘amber, water lily and santal’, encompassing a ‘light, floral scent’ which will bring ‘a sense of brightness and openness to the home’.
The products are part of As Ever’s tilt towards more ‘expanded fragrance and apothecary offerings’, Meghan told Town & Country.
‘The goal for As Ever has always been finding ways we can bring beauty and ease to your life – as a host, as a guest, as a friend, as a mom,’ she said.
Meghan’s close friend and Pilates instructor, Heather Dorak, took to Instagram to share a picture of the goods
Executive editor at the Today show, Adrianna Barrionuevo Brach, received a handwritten letter from Meghan
‘In whatever way you show up, I want As Ever to make it feel special. It began with a pot of jam, and a collection for your kitchen and now we are excited that the collection will soon expand into other parts of your home. It’s a very special time and I’m proud of what we are creating.’
According to People, the Mother’s Day edit will also feature three ‘bundles’, including one $156 (£115) set with the candles, chocolates made in collaboration with Compartés and specially designed matchboxes.
In 2024, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan adopted the Sussex title as a surname for their children as they ‘unify’ their family – making Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, known as Archie Sussex and Lilibet Sussex, rather than Mountbatten-Windsor.
It is thought to be in keeping with the way Harry was known as Captain Wales while in the army.
The launch comes in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s ‘quasi-royal’ tour of Australia, which Meghan posted about on Instagram.
Directing followers to read more about the trip on their site, Sussex.com, the duchess shared a montage of their four-day trip Down Under.
‘Australia, you have our hearts,’ she said.
Set to Love Is In The Air by Aussie singer John Paul Young, the post featured clips from official visits as well as snippets of more intimate moments, including a shot of Harry tucking into his dinner and Meghan touching up her make-up.
It comes as last week the Duchess of Sussex asked superfans if it was finally time to invest in herself after spending ‘all her life investing in women’ during a VIP meet-and-greet event in Sydney.
Meghan was speaking to a private audience at Her Best Life retreat on Friday as her trip to Australia with Prince Harry came to an end.
Women had paid up to £1,700 for VIP tickets to the event, which included the opportunity to sit in the front row of the Q&A and take a photograph with the duchess.
‘I’ve spent all my life investing in women, can I finally invest in me?’ Meghan asked the audience during her 90-minute appearance on stage.
She also told the crowd her experience in the public eye had been ‘very difficult’ but that people’s criticism of her had to do with their own ‘projections’.
She said the last decade, during which she celebrated happy moments such as her wedding and the birth of her two children, had been tainted by the vicious attacks.
Meghan said motherhood had taught her to have perspective and patience, something she needed, ‘given what our life is like’.
It is understood that organisers of the event, which was held at the InterContinental hotel near to Coogee beach, had paid £120,000 for Meghan’s appearance.
Tickets included a gala dinner of Hiramasa kingfish tostada, vannella burrata, riverina Angus beef tenderloin, free range chicken, coconut crumble and mango and passionfruit pavlova.
Prince Harry was also in attendance, and rose to his feet as his wife entered the room to greet her with a kiss and help her onto the stage.
Meghan wore a cashmere tank from Australian brand Scanlan Theodore paired with beige trousers and nude heels for the Q&A chat.
