In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from their royal duties, subsequently departing from the British royal family. A primary motivation for their departure was a desire for financial independence. Their official statement noted, “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
Since then, the couple has explored numerous avenues in pursuit of that goal. From podcasts to TV shows, they have ventured into a variety of industries. One such venture that continues to endure is As Ever.
As Ever
Officially launching on April 2, 2025 – one month after the debut of her Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan – Meghan Markle released a product line featuring fruit spread, honey, teas, flower sprinkles, and baking mixes. She eventually expanded her line of products to include wines, candles, and even a bookmark. Admittedly, a wave of secondhand embarrassment washes over me when I consider that “Montecito Meghan” has transitioned from dining with literal royalty to selling fruit spreads, flower sprinkles, and bookmarks – but I digress.
While Team Sussex claimed all previous launches sold out, a digital glitch in early January 2026 revealed otherwise. This glitch revealed the brand’s actual inventory totals. Contrary to the claims of a sell-out, these figures indicated that approximately 220,000 jars of fruit spread, 30,000 jars of honey, 90,000 candles, 80,000 tins of flower sprinkles, and 70,000 bottles of wine remained available. This controversy is just one of many surrounding As Ever, including issues with her most recent product release.
The Mother’s Day Collection Controversy
A little over a week ago, the U.K. was marked by celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth’s centenary. Although her birthday falls on April 21, the day prior was overshadowed by Meghan’s announcement of the As Ever Mother’s Day collection. This new line features a box of chocolates in collaboration with the gourmet chocolate brand Compartés, along with two candles inspired by her two children.
The timing of this announcement, followed by the collection’s official release on April 22, has raised eyebrows. Many have concluded that the launch was a deliberate attempt to upstage the royal commemorations, particularly given Meghan’s use of her children’s royal titles in the collection’s marketing.
In 2020, following their decision to step back from royal duties, Harry and Meghan met with the Queen and agreed not to use their titles for commercial gain. However, a press release for As Ever’s Mother’s Day collection stated that one of Meghan’s new candles was named after “Prince Archie of Sussex’s birthdate” (Signature Candle No. 506), while the other was named after “Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s birthdate” (Signature Candle No. 604). While the official product descriptions omit these titles, the use of them in the press release and the candles’ namesakes can’t help but suggest she’s capitalizing on her children and their titles, most likely because, at this point, her kids are the only things that people could actually care about when it comes to the Sussexes. In addition, the couple’s hypocrisy is glaring.
Over the past six years, the disgraced Duke and Duchess have frequently criticized the media’s exploitation of children. Harry has spoken out against social media companies preying on children to exploit their data and has voiced support for Australia’s restrictions on social media for those under 16. He has framed the protection of his children’s privacy as a vital stand against media intrusion, and both Harry and Meghan have repeatedly stated that they don’t share Archie and Lilibet’s faces on social media in an effort to safeguard their privacy.
But what about Harry and Meghan exploiting their own children?
Harry has suggested that the royal family would be at fault if anything were to happen to his children, an attempt to guilt his father into providing taxpayer-funded security. Furthermore, he has often used his children in his efforts to reconcile with his father over a rift he and Meghan caused. Now, Meghan is using their children to market her As Ever products.
Lastly, while many brands launch special collections for Mother’s Day, As Ever’s products raise certain questions. One of which is who is actually going to buy them? Considering the stagnant inventory levels reported in January, it seems the answer might be no one. With each candle priced at $64 and the box of chocolates priced at $58, and the product bundles ranging from $148 to $186, the cost is simply hard to justify.
Additionally, the press release states these candles were designed to evoke Meghan’s personal memories of Archie and Lilibet. Why would anyone buy any candle, let alone one priced at $64, meant to evoke memories of someone else’s child, especially for Mother’s Day? Better yet, why would someone buy said candle for their mother? Regardless of who that potential buyer is, I truly hope Meghan loves her kids enough not to forget the wicks this time around.
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