The Media Is Really Angry That Meghan Sussex Sold an Anniversary Candle

Another day, another desperate attempt to manufacture outrage over Meghan Sussex. This time, The Guardian has decided that the Duchess of Sussex is committing the unforgivable sin of earning a living by… selling a candle.

Yes, a candle. Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, spotlighted its Signature Candle No. 519 to mark her eighth wedding anniversary with Prince Harry. The candle first debuted in the brand’s 2025 holiday collection. The candle costs $64 (about £48). It features notes of Moroccan mint, white tea leaves and woodsy cardamom. According to the brand, it “evokes the freshness of a day in the English countryside.” And apparently, this is a scandal.

Here is what The Guardian wrote:

Sorry, that is objectively too much for a candle. Oh come on, it’s for an anniversary. What better way to mark a special occasion than with a beautiful scented candle?

I suppose when you put it like that. What’s the big occasion? The eighth wedding anniversary of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

That’s it? … I don’t understand what’s going on. … Who is this for? Markle’s jams I understand, because everyone likes jams. I can even understand her other candles, because who doesn’t like a candle? But a candle you have made on the assumption that people will want to celebrate an arbitrary wedding anniversary? Come on, Markle, you’re not exactly making it easy to root for you.

Don’t say: “By monetising our relationship with merch for the rich and gullible.”

Premium Candles Are Normal Unless Meghan Makes One

Here is a quick reality check for The Guardian and everyone pretending this is outrageous. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop sold a candle called “This Smells Like My Vagina” for $75, and yes, the press mocked it. But it was mostly treated as classic Goop provocation: weird, expensive, very on brand. Meghan’s candle, by contrast, is a normal premium lifestyle product, yet it is being framed as proof of grifting.

Jo Malone candles routinely run $70–$80 for a similar size. Diptyque? A 6.5‑ounce candle will set you back $90. A 2.5‑ounce travel candle is $45. Meghan’s candle is 8.4 ounces for $64. That is not “objectively too much.” That is the standard price for a premium candle in 2026.

But of course, the price was never the real issue. The issue is that it is Meghan selling it. If Kate Middleton launched a commemorative candle for her and William’s anniversary, The Guardian would run a breathless lifestyle piece about how “relatable” and “charming” it was.

The double standard has reached a point where it is beyond exhausting; it has become an industry, a content‑generation machine that runs on recycled outrage and zero self‑awareness. The same media that attacks Meghan for “monetising her relationship” has spent decades celebrating the royal family’s commercial merchandising, from official china to souvenir tea towels to commemorative coins. But when Meghan does it, it is suddenly grifting.

And let us talk about the “519” on the candle. That is the date of her wedding, May 19. It is also the area code for London, Ontario, Canada, where she spent time during her Suits years. It is a personal, meaningful touch. But the article dismissed it as “arbitrary” because nuance does not sell clicks.

The truth is simple: nobody is forcing anyone to buy this candle. If you think $64 is too much, do not buy it. If you think celebrating an eighth anniversary is “arbitrary,” ignore the post. But writing a thousand‑word sneer piece about a woman launching a product that hundreds of other brands launch every day? A hate‑read cash grab disguised as journalism, that is what we have here.

Meghan’s candle is not the problem. The media’s obsession with finding something, anything, to mock is the problem. And at this point, it is boring. The candle smells like cardamom and mint. The haters smell like desperation. I know which one I would rather have in my living room.