Meghan Markle Unveils Luxurious $256 Candle, Sparking Buzz with Her Unique Take on Affordable Alternatives

In a surprising twist, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, who once critiqued the sale of high-priced candles, now offers her own premium candle line. Back in 2016, shortly after she began dating Prince Harry, Meghan voiced her disapproval of candles priced over $100, describing such products as “obnoxious.” At the time, she was promoting her lifestyle blog, The Tig, which she envisioned as a platform for affordable luxury. “There are no $100 candles on my site – that’s so obnoxious,” she remarked, emphasizing her desire to offer attainable aspirational items.

Fast forward to the present, and critics are quick to point out the contrast. Her As Ever brand now markets a ‘Signature Scent Collection’ of candles, priced at $256 (£190), more than double the price she once criticized. This revelation has surfaced through an unearthed video of her 2016 speech at the Create & Cultivate conference in Atlanta, where she described The Tig as her “baby” and a burgeoning community hub for inspiration, support, and fun.

Despite her initial plans to expand The Tig, Meghan shut down the blog in 2017, shortly before her engagement to Prince Harry was made public. Now, a decade later, she has re-entered the lifestyle arena with her As Ever brand, offering a range of jams, teas, candles, and flower sprinkles. These products are said to draw inspiration from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and the couple’s wedding day on May 19, 2018.

The As Ever website says of her collection: ‘A luxurious and stand-out set certain to delight the most discerning of palates, and offer a stunning scent for every occasion, whether in your own home, as a hostess gift, or to share with the ones you love.’ She has also launched a new limited-edition box of matches to go with it. The matchbox is also sent out with her $110 ‘Morning Ritual’ and ‘Evening Ritual’ set, which includes some of her honey and tea sold along with one of her candles.

It is unclear whether the ‘luxury’ long matches will also be sold separately. One critic pointed to her previous criticism of expensive candles, and said: ‘Ironically, she is now selling candles on her website for more than $100. This is how your own words can come back to bite.’ A Sussex supporter hit back by saying that while her collection is north of $200, single candles are available for $64 each. Earlier this month, the Duchess – who had travelled to Geneva to warn of the dangers of social media for children in a speech outside the United Nations – revealed everyone in her family likes a different flavour of As Ever’s fruit spreads. Promoting her range of fruit preserves, Meghan said that Harry enjoys the raspberry variant, while her daughter ‘Lil’ is partial to the strawberry jam. She added that her son ‘Arch’ likes both, while the orange marmalade is her personal ‘favourite’.

In a post on As Ever’s Instagram promoting her jams, Meghan said: ‘Everyone in my family has a different favourite. My husband loves the raspberry, Lil loves the strawberry and Arch likes both. And I like the marmalade.’ The post is captioned: ‘Inspired by the jams Meghan has created in her own kitchen and shared over the years, each spread reflects a small-batch, carefully balanced approach to flavour. ‘Bright and fruit-forward with just a hint of tartness and a whisper of lemon, these spreads are crafted to highlight each fruit’s natural essence without overpowering it.’

Meghan also documented how she and Prince Harry celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary with their children in Montecito in an Instagram Story. She shared footage of Harry, 41, gifting her a statue of penguins, arm in arm, to mark their special day. The present is a nod to when they wore penguin costumes at their engagement party. Earlier in the day, Meghan posted a collection of previously unseen photographs from their wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 2018. ‘Eight years ago today…’, she captioned the two posts, with one showing a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first dance at their evening reception at Frogmore House, where they shared a passionate kiss in some of the pictures. The second post revealed snaps from Meghan and Harry’s nuptials at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, which were watched by an estimated 1.9billion people and attended by A-listers such as Oprah Winfrey, Sir David Beckham and George Clooney. The couple now live in Montecito with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, four, after stepping back from their royal duties in 2020.