Meghan sends PR boxes to promote £47 candles inspired by her children,
Meghan Markle is sending out As Ever gift boxes to influencers to promote the brand’s upcoming Mother’s Day collection – including the new £47 candles inspired by her children.
Days after returning home to Montecito from her and Prince Harry’s divisive Australia tour, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, announced she had added two new candles to her lifestyle brand as part of a ‘Mother’s Day Edit’ on April 20.
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.
Ahead of the release on April 22, the Mother’s Day collection has been sent out to select American influencers, including Carly (@mycityapartment), who has more than 460,000 followers, and Kristina Zias, with nearly 350,000 followers on Instagram.
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 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 Compartés, 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.
American influencer Carly (@mycityapartment) shared a photo of the £115 box from As Ever, including gourmet chocolates, on her Instagram Stories and tagged Meghan’s lifestyle brand
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex alongside their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who have inspired new candles for Meghan’s As Ever range
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’.
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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.
‘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 this weekend.
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 added.
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.
Meghan unveiled Signature Candle No. 506, named after her son Archie’s birthdate of May 6
The ‘Mother’s Day Edit’ also includes Signature Candle No. 604, an homage to Princess Lilibet’s June 4 birthday
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.
As Ever promoted the edit with a post featuring blocks of chocolate, captioned: ‘A few things, made to be gifted or shared. Mother’s Day arrives soon. Set your reminder. Launching April 22 on AsEver.com’
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High-profile guests included radio queens Jackie O Henderson and Carrie Bickmore, along with reality TV star Megan Towner.
Meghan also spoke alongside her friend Gemma O’Neill – the talent manager who represents Jackie O.
A strict ‘no filming’ rule was in place during the event but a photographer was on hand to capture the key moments.
A guest, who did not wish to be named, told The Times: ‘She was saying that she wanted to be an antidote for everything online that was vicious, venomous and unfairly cruel.
‘She also said that Harry had kept her safe, especially from the lions and elephants when they went on a date to Botswana.’
On Saturday morning, the group was due to enjoy an optional yoga class at 7.45am before ‘easing into the day’ with a buffet breakfast.
But unbeknownst to the attendees, their star guest Meghan had already left the building.
The duke and duchess quietly slipped out of the hotel’s underground car park at 7.20am.
They travelled in a small motorcade of one NSW police BMW and two glossy Range Rovers to Sydney Airport in order to fly back to Los Angeles.
The duchess has faced criticism for monetising aspects of her trip Down Under.
This includes a partnership with AI fashion website OneOff where fans can buy the clothes she’s wearing.
Meghan is expected to earn a portion of the company’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 per cent to 25 per cent per item sold.
She is also an investor in the AI-powered fashion business.
It is not clear how much the duchess expects to make, but the firm said of its deal with Meghan: ‘She cares about fashion and was motivated to invest not only to expand her portfolio, but to help uplift the fashion designers she is a fan of.’
One of the outfits advertised online was what she wore to meet survivors of the Bondi terror attack.
The Duchess of Sussex had looked deeply moved as she listened to stories from those who witnessed the horrific antisemitic massacre in December that claimed 15 lives.
Meghan also embraced Jessica Chapnik Kahn, who survived while shielding her five-year-old daughter after attending a Hanukkah party.
She and Harry also spoke to first responders to the Bondi terrorist attack, including lifeguards on the beach.
