Meghan’s As Ever advent calendar row escalates as two British priests face online backlash

A row over Meghan Markle’s £112 Advent calendar has spilled into a bitter social-media dispute involving two British priests, after one recommended a far cheaper Christian alternative and some supporters of the Duchess of Sussex responded with a barrage of personal abuse.

Reverend Daniel French, an Anglican priest and London university chaplain, drew attention to a £5.99 Advent calendar containing Fairtrade chocolate and supporting The Leprosy Mission. His post quickly attracted hostile replies from members of the online group commonly known as the Sussex Squad.

Father Chris Phillips, a fellow Protestant clergyman whose parish is in Benhilton, south-west London, then backed French. He was subsequently subjected to a fresh wave of criticism and eventually restricted access to his X account.

The dispute comes days after Meghan unveiled her first major As Ever product since she and Prince Harry returned to Britain with their children: a limited-edition chocolate Advent calendar made with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés.

The post that started the dispute

The controversy began with a post from Rev French comparing Meghan’s £112 ($148) calendar with a £5.99 alternative sold by the Meaningful Chocolate Company.

Rather than simply criticising Meghan or her brand, French suggested that people looking for an Advent calendar could consider one with an explicitly Christian theme.

He wrote on X:

“For £5.99 you can pre-order a Christian Advent Calendar with Fairtrade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. A donation is made to The Leprosy Mission.”

The alternative calendar also contains a 24-page Christmas story and activity booklet about the birth of Christ. French said it included a “little booklet on the meaning of Christmas”.

The comparison was enough to trigger an angry reaction from some Meghan supporters.

According to reports, French was called “evil” and “satan spawn”, while others questioned his character and his credentials as a Christian.

Father Phillips then came to French’s defence. His intervention brought another wave of hostile messages, prompting him to remark that he had “encountered the Sussex Squad on here”, adding: “Wow.”

The episode has since become a wider argument about the way criticism of Meghan is handled online, with supporters defending the Duchess and critics accusing some members of her online following of going too far.

Father Phillips locks his account

The abuse continued for roughly 24 hours, according to reports, with messages attacking both priests personally.

One critic challenged French by suggesting that Meghan’s product was simply not aimed at him and saying they preferred the chocolate they were familiar with.

French gave a brief response:

“Enjoy.”

Other messages were considerably more aggressive.

One commenter accused the priests of being “sorry excuses for Christianity”, while another described their criticism as an “evil” attempt to gain Christmas support.

A further post accused the clergymen of directing hostility towards Meghan while being unable to tolerate criticism themselves.

Phillips eventually blocked a number of pro-Meghan accounts and restricted his X profile. His decision itself became another source of criticism, with some supporters calling him a coward for blocking them.

The episode was reported as an example of the increasingly heated exchanges that can surround Meghan and Harry online. Both priests have been asked to comment on the dispute.

What Meghan’s £112 Advent calendar contains

The product at the centre of the argument is a collaboration between Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, and Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés.

Priced at £112 in Britain, or $148 in the United States, the limited-edition calendar contains 24 handcrafted chocolates. It was released for pre-order on October 1, with deliveries expected from early November. Contemporary reports said the product was being offered for delivery in the United States rather than the UK.

The design is closely tied to the Montecito home where Meghan and Harry lived for six years.

The illustrated box depicts the £11 million California mansion surrounded by elements associated with the property, including its garden. The concept was developed with Compartés creative director Jonathan Grahm.

The chocolates draw on flavours associated with As Ever, including strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade. There is also a special chocolate finished with Meghan’s Flower Sprinkles, as well as a dark chocolate ganache truffle from Compartés.

Each countdown number is hand-painted in edible gold lustre using Meghan’s own handwriting, adding another personalised element to the packaging.

As Ever described the calendar as the latest stage of its collaboration with Compartés, following the brands’ earlier chocolate bars.

Compartés also sells other Advent calendars priced at $120 (£91), including designs called “Enchanted Castle”, “The Nutcracker” and “Winter Forest”.

The price of Meghan’s calendar quickly became a talking point online. At $148 for 24 chocolates, it works out at a little over $6 per chocolate.

The calendar was being developed before the Sussexes returned to Britain

Although the Advent calendar was launched shortly after Meghan and Harry’s return to Britain, the project was already in development before the family left California.

Meghan shared behind-the-scenes footage showing her working on the calendar in June. The video included Compartés chief executive Jonathan Grahm and was captioned “Christmas planning in June”. It also showed early artwork for the box.

The family’s black Labrador, Pula, also appeared in promotional material carrying an As Ever plush toy.

The California setting of the calendar has attracted attention because the Sussexes returned to Britain in August with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.

The couple have retained their Montecito home, however, making the California-inspired design consistent with the branding they had already been developing.

Meghan’s expensive promotional look

The Advent calendar campaign also attracted attention because of Meghan’s clothes and jewellery.

In the promotional photographs, she wore an outfit and jewellery reported to have a combined value of about £75,000 ($100,000).

Among the most expensive pieces was a yellow-gold tennis necklace by Jennifer Meyer valued at $61,250, or roughly £46,000.

Her clothes and jewellery were subsequently made available to shoppers through OneOff, an AI-powered fashion discovery platform in which Meghan is an investor and featured participant. The platform allows users to identify and shop for pieces worn by celebrities.

According to reporting on OneOff’s business model, retailers pay a commission of between 10 and 25 per cent on sales generated through the platform, with the revenue shared with creators.

The arrangement means Meghan can direct people from images of her outfits to the clothes and jewellery themselves while also having a financial interest in the platform.

Meghan’s connection to the Church of England

The argument involving the two priests comes against a long history of Meghan’s own connection to the Church of England.

Meghan attended a Catholic school in Los Angeles before being baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.

The private ceremony took place at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace and was conducted by Justin Welby, then Archbishop of Canterbury. The baptism was kept private, with only a small group of senior royals understood to have attended.

Welby later became central to another controversy surrounding Meghan and Harry.

During their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that she and Harry had exchanged wedding vows with Welby three days before their public wedding.

She said they had wanted a private union between the two of them rather than the public spectacle that was being prepared for May 19, 2018.

The claim prompted questions about whether the earlier ceremony could have been legally valid.

Welby subsequently clarified that the legal wedding took place on the Saturday, May 19, 2018. He said he had held private and pastoral meetings with the couple before the wedding but had not legally married them three days earlier.

He also explained that he had signed their wedding certificate and would have committed a serious criminal offence had he knowingly signed a false document.

The clarification became one of the more notable disputes arising from the couple’s interview with Oprah.

The Sussexes’ return to Britain

The Advent calendar controversy arrives during a significant period for Harry and Meghan, who returned to Britain with their children in August after more than six years living in California.

Their decision to relocate came as a surprise and prompted widespread speculation about the reasons behind it.

Among the explanations reported at the time were a desire for Archie and Lilibet to develop a closer relationship with their grandfather, King Charles III, Meghan’s possible interest in returning to acting, and a wish by the couple to increase their public profile.

Charles was reported to be pleased at the prospect of spending more time with his grandchildren but remained clear that Harry and Meghan would not return as working royals.

That position was formally reiterated shortly after their arrival.

A letter authorised by the King and circulated by the Lord Chamberlain to senior government and military figures described Harry and Meghan as private citizens with commercial and charitable interests. The guidance was intended to avoid confusion over their status.

Reports suggested that the couple were surprised by the formal communication and preferred to describe themselves as public figures.

Archie and Lilibet’s school move added another layer to the transition

The family’s return has also been complicated by security concerns surrounding the children.

Archie and Lilibet were enrolled at a British prep school after the family arrived, but they were withdrawn after only two days.

The decision followed concerns from the Sussexes’ private security team about the school run. Heavy traffic made it difficult for the security vehicle to remain with the family car, creating practical problems for their protection arrangements.

The children subsequently moved to another school.

The security concerns did not end there. In late September, two men were seen around the perimeter of the school attended by Archie and Lilibet. Police investigated the incident, and the men were understood to be international photographers.

The Sussexes described the photographers’ behaviour as “extraordinarily reckless” and an unacceptable intrusion into their children’s privacy.

At the same time, Harry and Meghan have continued to wait for a decision on whether they will receive taxpayer-funded security.

The couple stepped down as working royals in 2020, citing personal and financial reasons, and have since relied on private security arrangements.

As Ever continues its holiday push

While the controversy over the Advent calendar unfolded, Meghan’s As Ever brand continued promoting its wider holiday offering.

The company was launched in February last year and sells products including jam and Flower Sprinkles. Its latest holiday campaign has included hosting advice aimed at people preparing for Christmas gatherings.

In a series of posts titled “Meghan’s Hosting Notes”, the Duchess advised preparing as much as possible before guests arrive while leaving one simple task to finish in the kitchen as everyone settles in.

The advice was accompanied by an image of Meghan tying a white apron around her waist.

The recommendations echo the themes of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which focused on cooking, entertaining and crafting. The series received a mixed critical response when it was released alongside As Ever in 2025.

A marketing strategy under scrutiny

The Advent calendar is therefore arriving at a particularly busy moment for the Sussexes.

Meghan is expanding As Ever’s product range while also using her public image to promote associated fashion and lifestyle products. Her latest campaign combines the California home that has defined much of her post-royal life with her new chapter in Britain.

The OneOff partnership has added another commercial element to that strategy, allowing followers to shop the clothes and jewellery she wears in promotional material and public appearances. Meghan became an investor and featured participant in the platform in 2026.

But the commercial use of her image has not always generated favourable attention.

Earlier this year, the OneOff page featured the outfit Meghan wore while embracing survivors of the Bondi Beach terror attack, in which 15 people were killed. The decision to associate that image with shoppable fashion drew criticism, and the image was subsequently changed. Reporting at the time noted that it was unclear whether Meghan or OneOff had selected the photograph and found no suggestion of wrongdoing by Meghan.

The latest controversy is very different in nature, but it again places Meghan’s commercial activities at the centre of a public argument.

For now, the £112 Advent calendar remains the focal point of the dispute. What began with a priest suggesting a £5.99 Christian alternative has developed into a much broader clash involving social-media abuse, questions about criticism of Meghan and the intensely divided online communities that surround the Duchess of Sussex.