The Duchess of Sussex once branded expensive candles “so obnoxious” and claimed you would not find a $100 candle on her website, years before she launched lifestyle brand As ever.
Unearthed footage from the 2016 Create Cultivate Atlanta conference for female entrepreneurs showed the then-Meghan Markle making the comments while promoting her former lifestyle website The Tig, which she closed down in 2017.
Meghan is now selling expensive candles, but once branded them “obnoxious” in a 2016 video. Facebook/@Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Meghan was speaking on stage about her life and career, and plans to expand her website The Tig, when she made the comments.
“I’ve always sort of crafted [The Tig] as aspirational, girl-next-door,” she said.
“You can aspire for it, but you can totally attain it too. There are no $100 candles on my site − that’s so obnoxious. I just want things that you can have.”
While at the time of the conference Meghan was looking for a “new head honcho” to help grow the website, she ended up shutting it down in April 2017 − seven months before she became engaged to Prince Harry.
The couple went on to marry the following year but stepped down as working members of the royal family in 2020, and forged a new life in California.
Fast forward to today, and Meghan’s As ever brand, which she launched in April 2025 with a range of pantry staples including raspberry spread, herbal teas, honey, baking mixes and her much-maligned flower sprinkles, now sells a range of candles.
They start at $89, but go up to $358 for a pack of four candles and her new range of signature matches. There are also sets of two candles with matches, which will set you back $180.
Meghan’s candle range, which also includes complementary matches, starts at $89. Instagram/aseverofficial
A candle is also included in her ‘evening ritual’ pack, which includes a sachet of herbal tea and a jar of honey. It sells for $154.
Meghan’s candle range launched in October but attracted controversy from the start, with some customers complaining their candles arrived without a wick.
Then in April there was more controversy when she launched a special Mother’s Day range, which included candles inspired by her two children.
A press release announcing the release of the Signature Candle No. 506 said it was inspired by the birthdate of Meghan’s son, Prince Archie, May 6 − in the US dates are listed as month then day.
A candid photos from their 2018 wedding day was released by Meghan last month. Chris Allerton
Meghan and Harry celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary on May 18, 2026. Instagram/Meghan
Another candle, Signature Candle No. 604, was inspired by “Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s Birthdate”.
The use of the children’s royal titles to sell candles caused an uproar, before mention of them was removed from the website five days later.
The latter is now listed simply as Signature Candle No. 604 while the description says it is in honour of her daughter Lilibet’s birthdate, with no mention of ‘Princess’.
The same changes have been made to Archie’s candle.
The Duchess faced further ridicule late last week when she teased a new product before adding “curated limited edition” matches to her product range.
“When you have to roll out a full promotional campaign for your newest product and that product is a box of matches, you’ve officially reached the bottom of the barrel,” one X user said.
“At this rate next week’s big reveal will be limited-edition rubber band.”
The Duchess of Sussex in a new promotional video for As ever. Instagram/@aseverofficial
Just weeks earlier, Meghan had given both the As ever website and Instagram account, and her private Instagram account an overhaul, replacing the previous profile pictures with new images and a video which again welcomed her followers “to the world of As ever”.
The video featured the duchess tasting a raspberry, picking flowers from a garden, selecting spreads from a pantry, reading a book and looking whimsically out the window while seated on a kitchen bench.