Meghan Markle Slammed for ‘Tacky’ Product Launch on Queen's 100th Birthday: ‘Enough Is Enough’
Critics slam Meghan Markle for using her children's royal titles to market her new As Ever collection, that too on Queen Elizabeth's 100th birth anniversary.
Meghan Markle has yet again found herself at the center of a heated debate — a reaction sparked by the timing of her latest, As Ever, product launch, which coincided with the Royal Family, as well as global tributes, honoring the late Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birth anniversary. Harsh labels like ‘psychopathic’ and ‘ghoulish’ are being hurled at the Duchess, with many of the opinion that she deliberately stole the spotlight from the late sovereign’s milestone to pad the sales of her lifestyle brand.
On the evening of April 20, just hours before Buckingham Palace began centennial celebrations for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, the Duchess took to her official Instagram account to tease a series of high-end items. The collection introduced a ‘Signature Chocolate Box’ alongside two premium candles — “No. 604” and “No. 506” — which were titled to reflect the birthdates of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Though she pitched the candles (priced at roughly $64 a piece) as “floral and radiant,” the public’s response proved to be the exact opposite. Viewed by many as a calculated snub, especially at a time when the King and the wider family spent the day memorializing the late sovereign through video tributes and the unveiling of commemorative coins.
The internet’s response was quick and biting, with disgruntled netizens aiming at Markle for using her children’s royal titles to drive merchandise sales. “As ever, merching the kiddos on the late Queen's 100th birthday. Utterly disgusting,” one user bluntly said on Reddit, while another expressed total exhaustion with the Sussexes’ commercial timing, stating, “This is the absolute breaking point. Enough is enough. Seeing Lilibet on her As Ever BS on the Queen's birthday?!” A comment also read: "On what would have been Her Majesty the Late Queen's 100th birthday, we have a new statue, a very poignant video message from the King, a documentary, specifically minted commemorative coins…No one is interested in overpriced candles... As ever, tacky, pathetic, ill-timed, that fails to hit the target." The commentary was just as scathing on X, with netizens highlighting that updates from Prince Harry and Markle have often clashed with important royal events.
One user posted, “#MeghanMarkle's incessant need to release launches on important dates for the Royal Family-Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday, Princess Diana's 64th birthday…can no longer be viewed as accidental or coincidental,” calling it “psychopathic, disrespectful and ghoulish.” Apart from the controversial timing, the decision to use ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ within the brand’s promotional content has elicited fresh backlash — reopening questions regarding the terms of their 2020 royal exit. “Royal titles aren't meant to double as marketing tools,” another critic argued, noting “Using 'Prince' and 'Princess'...to sell $64 candles tied to Archie and Lilii is exactly the kind of commercial crossover the rules were designed to avoid.”
While the detractors were quite vocal with their criticisms, the ‘Sussex Squad’ wasted no time leaping to defend the Duchess. Some dismissed the outrage as a double standard, with one fan asking playfully, “Any other dates people can't use? Kate's dog's birthday?” Others solely focused on the products themselves, with a second user remarking, “I'm so excited for this!! Can't wait to get my candles, matchbox, & chocolate.” The new line-up arrives just after Harry and Markle’s recent trip to Australia — a four-day visit alone allegedly netted the couple a sum exceeding $10 million via a series of appearances and lucrative partnership deals.
