The Duchess of Sussex and lifestyle brand owner Meghan Markle has shared a rare insight into her life on Instagram.
The Tuesday post featured a series of photos from various stages in Meghan’s life, accompanied by slides of motivational quotes, journal entries, and homemade videos.
One such family video gave fans a sneak peek into Meghan’s jam-making business, as part of her As Ever brand.
Her daughter, red-headed Princess Lilibet, now 5, appeared to be serving as sous chef in the video, helping her mother stir a pot of jam.
The footage, which looked to be from some years ago, showed Meghan asking her daughter, “What do you think Lili?”
Lili adorably responded, “I think it’s beautiful,” in a clear American accent.
Other footage that made the cut included jars being filled with raspberry jam making their way down an assembly line, as well as Meghan’s various business escapes.
Shots of her beekeeping, eating raspberries off her fingers, making jam biscuits, and putting hampers together, were also featured in the montage set to Dreams by The Cranberries.
However, some have pointed out that one of these “snapshots” into her process appeared to show the Duchess stirring a pot on a gas stove without the knobs turned on.
In the post’s caption, Meghan reminisced about starting a handmade scrunchies business when she was eight years old.
The scrunchies, she said, were sewed on her grandmother’s Singer sewing machine and sold for $1 a piece.
“I sold Girl Scout cookies, had lemonade stands, worked in a frozen yogurt shop and had countless other jobs,” she continued. “My entrepreneurial spirit was always there.”
Meghan also referenced her old blog The Tig, where she had once shared, “Behind every successful woman is herself.”
“That’s true,” she reflected in the caption,” before adding a caveat: “but there’s more: a community of love, a squad of support, an amazing team.”
Meghan went on to share gratitude for her As Ever team.
“I pinch myself looking at how this brand has grown,” Meghan wrote, referencing their newly introduced holiday collection.
“I feel very proud, and grateful.”
As Ever is a lifestyle brand Meghan launched in 2024. It was originally called American Riviera Orchard and sells pantry staples like wine, honey, and jam, as well as candles, teas, and gift hampers.
The curated collection has been described by the Duchess herself as “an extension” of her essence.
The newly released holiday collection, “The Holiday Collection: Chapter one” features the tagline “merriment in the making.”
The collection includes a selection of gift baskets, chocolate bars, hand-dipped fruit covered in chocolate, chocolate bars, playing cards, and an advent calendar.
They are currently only being shipped within the United States.
The advent calendar, which is being sold for $148 or $6 per chocolate, is inspired by Meghan’s Montecito home and garden and created in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés.
The flavours draw on other As Ever favourites, including their strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and orange marmalade spreads in addition to a special chocolate finished with Meghan’s signature flower sprinkles and an award-winning rich dark chocolate ganache truffle.
The calendar, which comes just days apart from Buckingham Palace’s own line of advent calendars, has drawn fierce backlash online for its steep price point.
One X user commented: “I couldn’t care less. Anyone who is dumb enough to pay $150 buck for her cheap s**t deserves to get taken in.”
Others said they prefer the Palace’s advent calendars because they’re “less than half the money” and claimed they were higher quality.
According to The Daily Mail, the Duchess’s online supporters issued toxic attacks at two British clergymen for their criticisms of the calendars.
Reverend Daniel French tweeted, “But for £5.99 you can pre order a Christian Advent Calendar with fairtrade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. Donation is made to Leprosy Mission. Includes little booklet on the meaning of Christmas.”
This invited furor among the Duchess’s “Sussex Squad,” who labelled French and Father Chris Phillips “demons,” “satan spawn,” and “evil.”
After Phillips came to French’s defense, he was met with similar social media hate, prompting him to lock down his X account.
The accounts, while supportive of the Duchess, are not affiliated with her camp.
Read related topics:Meghan Markle