The Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever will have a new-product drop today. If the previous product drops are any indication, As Ever’s site will be updated with the new products around noon EST/9 am PST. Over the weekend, Town & Country got a big exclusive about the “new products,” which are based around gift-giving for Mother’s Day here in America. As Ever is doing another collaboration with Compartes, the LA-based luxury chocolatier, with what looks like dark-chocolate-and-caramel bites. Additionally, Meghan is adding two new candle scents. Months ago, she introduced her first two candles, the No. 084 (Meghan’s birthday) and the No. 519 (Meghan and Harry’s wedding anniversary). According to T&C, the next two candles are named the No. 506 and the No. 604, her children’s birthdays, and the blurb on the site will likely reference Archie and Lilibet as the “inspirations” for the scents. It’s touching and very “Meghan.” Well, obviously, “palace sources” are beside themselves with incandescent rage about it.
Meghan Markle has come under fire this week for hawking candles “inspired” by her children — and Page Six can reveal she and Prince Harry have also trademarked Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s names, prompting questions about how the couple plan to use the kids’ titles in the public eye.
Markle’s As Ever range, which keeps using coy glimpses of the children in advertisements, will sell two $64 candles — No. 506, for “Prince Archie of Sussex’s Birthdate,” and No. 604, for “Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s Birthdate,” according to the brand’s promotional materials — as part of her Mother’s Day collection, out Wednesday.
One palace source called the sales pitch “an outrageous use of their titles” and noted the late Queen Elizabeth II never intended for the Sussex family to make money off the HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) titles. In fact, it’s why the duke and duchess famously agreed never to use those titles in public after stepping down as working royals back in 2020.
Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, were officially made HRH when their grandfather, King Charles, ascended the throne after his mother’s death in September 2022, and they are listed on the royal website with their official titles.
Page Six has previously reported that the children have stationary emblazoned with HRH, although it’s not expected they will be working royals when they grow up.
We have now learned that Harry, 41, and Markle, 44, have not only trademarked Archie and Lilibet’s names, but also claimed their emails, social media handles and domain names.
Although it is a common thing for celebrities to protect their children in this way, an industry insider noted that trademarking their names for any future goods sold while they are minors would be another story. “It’s not about safeguarding the children — that’s understandable. It’s what you plan to do with [the trademarks] that is the key.”
“…According to the brand’s promotional materials…” As of this writing, the products have not dropped yet. Let’s take a breath and wait until As Ever updates and see how Meghan and her team actually reference the children. And even if she does reference her children with their titles, who cares? Those are the kids’ names. The candles themselves are just named after the kids’ birthdays, it’s not like she’s calling it “the Prince Archie Candle” or whatever. They just keep trying and failing to come up with an attack line that sticks, have you noticed? They’ve got nothing beyond dumb sh-t like “Meghan invested in OneOff” and “how dare she wear Australian designers” and now “she’s referencing her children within As Ever.” Don’t these “palace sources” have better uses for their time besides hysterically calling up the NY Post to whine about an American woman’s candles?
PS… I have my fingers crossed that Meghan keeps leaning into fragrance and ends up doing an As Ever perfume line.
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s Instagram and Meghan’s Instagram.
