Meghan Markle launches first As Ever Advent calendar with Compartés
Meghan Markle is launching her first-ever Advent calendar under her As Ever brand. The limited-edition countdown box was created with Compartés, a chocolatier based in Los Angeles.
She announced it in an As Ever newsletter on 1 October, saying pre-orders would open on 2 October for delivery in November, according to Hello!. An Advent calendar is a December countdown, usually with 24 or 25 little doors or boxes opened one a day. Chocolate remains the classic filling.
Most start on 1 December and run to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. A November delivery leaves plenty of time to have it ready for the first window.
The newsletter carried a new photograph of the Duchess of Sussex with the calendar. She wore a cream knit jumper and a forest-green skirt, posed alongside the tall box. It is a simple, seasonal portrait, without extra staging.
The packaging itself does most of the talking. The outer box is royal blue, with dark inner boxes holding sweet treats. The lid carries an illustration of the family home in Montecito, California, which inspired the design, as reported by Yahoo Entertainment. The design was also described as inspired by the Montecito mansion, as reported by Express.
The house puts home at the centre of the product. The illustration makes that link explicit, turning a family address into front-cover artwork. Limited-edition here means a one-off seasonal run, not a permanent addition to the range.
The project follows a family tradition she has described before. Last Christmas she spoke about building giant Advent calendars for her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She filled them with handwritten notes, including messages such as “I love you because you’re so kind”, according to People.
She also made Advent calendars and Christmas crackers on camera for an hour-long holiday special. That special was reported to premiere on 3 December. The home-made version came first. This shop-bought version comes next.
For fans, this means that ritual is now available to buy. Expect chocolate, keepsake packaging and a house portrait on the front. As Ever has not yet published a price or a day-by-day list of contents, so the small boxes keep their secret for now.
