Meghan Markle's new holiday collection has sparked a fresh controversy in Britain, with her supporters launching online attacks on two priests who criticised the price of her $148 chocolate advent calendar. Anglican priest Daniel French encouraged his followers to choose a cheaper, charitable option instead, which enraged members of the self-styled "Sussex Squad". One critic accused the priests of using their platforms to attack Meghan, while another called them "sorry excuses for Christianity".
Protestant priest Chris Phillips attempted to defend his fellow clergyman but then faced a separate onslaught of social media criticism himself. The row comes as Meghan continues to expand her As Ever lifestyle brand, including a new holiday collection that has drawn comparisons to Buckingham Palace's festive offerings. Her "Hostess Basket" features teas, fruit spreads, flower sprinkles and scented candles, while the collection also includes the $148 chocolate advent calendar - a price point that critics have called tone-deaf.
Some have noted that the offerings from the As Ever holiday collection strike them as being oddly similar to Buckingham Palace's 2026 hamper collection, adding fuel to the controversy. The advent calendar row threatens to mar the first Christmas in Britain for the Sussexes after their reported return to England earlier this year. Meghan and Prince Harry reportedly returned to the UK with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in August.
Since the move, Meghan has been settling into a new routine that includes regular reformer Pilates classes at Soho Farmhouse's Wellness Barn in Oxfordshire. However, the couple have also faced security concerns surrounding their children's new school, and reportedly pulled their children from the school just two days into the term.
The clash between the Sussex fans and the clergy has become the latest flashpoint in Britain's long-running culture war over the couple. Supporters of the priests argue that a church figure recommending a more charitable Christmas purchase is entirely reasonable, while Meghan's defenders say the priests were using the Duchess of Sussex as a punching bag for engagement. Either way, the episode underlines how every commercial move by Meghan - from jam to advent calendars - continues to generate outsized controversy on both sides of the Atlantic.
The advent calendar row is only the latest in a series of commercial controversies for Meghan's As Ever brand. Since launching the lifestyle label, she has faced criticism over pricing and product choices, with detractors arguing the brand trades on her royal title while supporters praise her entrepreneurial pivot. Buckingham Palace has made no comment on the comparisons between her holiday collection and the Royal Collection's own festive offerings, but the visual similarities noted by shoppers have kept the story alive in the British press.