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Since 2014, the Duchess of Sussex and Serena Williams have enjoyed a close friendship, but recent events have prompted some royal enthusiasts to question their bond. The tennis legend’s recent Instagram promotion for Meghan’s ‘As Ever’ collection has left fans puzzled.
Over the weekend, Serena, 44, was among the select few who received a PR package containing Meghan’s Mother’s Day selections. The package featured candles inspired by Meghan’s children and a box of chocolates priced at £42.
Contrary to the polished product promotions typically expected, Serena opted for an unconventional approach. She shared an informal video where the chocolates appeared scattered and slightly damaged, referring to the situation as ‘botched.’ She humorously noted her aversion to chocolate.
This casual presentation starkly contrasted with the sophisticated displays often posted by celebrities when promoting friends’ ventures. For instance, when Meghan first distributed her PR gifts, Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen showcased them with impressive arrangements.
The informal nature of Serena’s post led to mixed reactions from followers, some labeling it as ‘poorly done.’ One fan remarked, “It seems like Serena might have casually tossed the box before filming, resulting in a less-than-stellar promotion.”
In her video, Serena candidly commented on the state of the chocolates, saying, “The chocolate looked beautiful and was delicious. I don’t usually like chocolate, but I’ve been enjoying them so much. They’re really good.”
Commenting on Meghan’s calligraphy, she said: ‘Her penmanship has always been amazing from the 100 years I seem to have known her.’
And when looking at the No.506 candle, which features scents of Ginger, Cashmere and Neroli, Serena said she ‘can’t pronounce’ the last ingredient – and it was much the same for the second candle, which included Santal – ‘another word I can’t pronounce’.
The Duchess of Sussex’s friendship with Serena Williams has been questioned after the tennis star’s latest Instagram post (pictured together in California in 2024)
She concluded the post by saying, presumably directed at Meghan: ‘I love candles, thank you, I love you.’
‘It actually makes you wonder- why would you make your friend’s product look bad while trying to promote it?’
A second wrote: ‘Serena has been Markled’. A third joked: ‘I don’t like chocolate… It was delicious… Uhhhhhh.’
A fourth wrote: ‘What a beautiful box…and inside a complete mess.’
Another disagreed, saying: ‘She did say she liked Meghan’s penmanship, and that she doesn’t like chocolate, but she had devoured those ones. I don’t think it was intentional.’
Meghan met Serena briefly in 2010, and again in 2014, explaining on her now defunct blog The Tig that the pair ‘hit it off immediately’.
The Duchess invited the sportswoman to her wedding to Prince Harry and her star-studded baby shower when pregnant with Archie in New York City in February 2019.
Serena previously advised Meghan to ‘stop being so nice’ and also praised her ‘class and poise’ in the famous Oprah interview.
The As Ever chocolates were smashed and displaced when Serena showed them to her 18 million followers
When showing the note from Meghan, Serena said her ‘penmanship has always been amazing from the 100 years I seem to have known her’
Before showing Meghan’s As Ever sweet treats, the athlete told her followers that she ‘doesn’t like chocolate’
According to Mark Hodgkinson in Serena: A Graphic Biography of the Greatest Tennis Champion, the women’s friendship quickly evolved through frequent phone calls and texts.
After becoming Prince Harry’s girlfriend and then a Duchess, Meghan leaned on Serena for mentoring on how to handle the paparazzi and the international media.
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Serena advised her to ‘stop being so nice’, according to the author.
And when Meghan learned she was pregnant shortly after Serena’s little girl was born, she offered her parenting advice.
In 2021, Williams revealed: ‘We have known each other for a long time, but we really are relying on each other a lot recently.’
She added that watching Meghan marry Prince Harry in May 2018 was particularly special.
Serena said: ‘It was really exciting to see so much African-American culture in the wedding and I was really happy that Meghan wanted to incorporate that into it. It was just a whole cultural shift and change.
‘It was seeing how far African-Americans have come. I thought it was an incredibly inspiring and beautiful and really motivating thing. I was so proud of her and so happy for her.’
Meanwhile, in 2021, Serena praised Meghan, saying she is the ‘epitome of class and strength’ following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
She spoke to Behnaz Ghahramani, the Stuart Weitzman Chief Marketing Officer, for their debut episode of the Shine Series, where she discussed her long-term friendship with the Duchess.
She described Meghan as ‘the strongest person she knows’.
Pictured: The Duchess of Sussex and Serena Williams participating in the DirecTV Beach Bowl in New York, 2014
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Serena’s Instagram post – and many were surprised
Serena’s ‘poorly done’ post was very different to the aesthetic image Kris Jenner shared of Meghan’s jam back in April 2024
Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend joined Meghan’s select circle of ‘jamfluencers’ back in 2024
It comes after the Duchess appears to be taking a different stance at promoting her latest collection – and sending it to a select few, unlike when she released her first As Ever jam collection, and sent it to numerous A-listers.
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 latest 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, in 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 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.
‘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.’
