The Duchess of Sussex released her newest As Ever products yesterday, with special product bundles for Mother’s Day gift-giving. The new products included another collaboration with Compartes for dark-chocolate and caramel bites, plus two new candle scents. The new candles reference Meghan’s two children – the names of the candles are for Archie and Lili’s birthdays, and the kids’ names are mentioned in the candle descriptions on As Ever’s site. Contrary to Page Six’s “palace source” hissy fit, the kids were referenced without their titles. Also contrary to the palace source’s hissy fit, Meghan wants people to know that she hasn’t trademarked her kids’ names.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not trademarked the names of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, despite reports suggesting otherwise, PEOPLE confirms.
Reports claiming Harry and Meghan have taken steps to secure their children’s names across trademarks came after the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle line announced a Mother’s Day collection that included tributes to her children.
The birthdates of Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, were described as the inspiration for Signature Candle No. 506 and Signature Candle No. 604, respectively, paying homage to their birth dates of May 6 and June 4.
Although Prince Harry and Meghan’s children were born as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor,” they were afforded the titles of prince and princess when their grandfather King Charles acceded to the throne in 2022. The kids are listed as “Prince Archie of Sussex” and “Princess Lilibet of Sussex” in the official British line of succession to the throne.
The royal titles did not appear on the As ever website when the Mother’s Day collection launched online on April 22. There, Signature Candle No. 506 and Signature Candle No. 604 are described as being crafted and curated by Meghan, “inspired by her son Archie’s birthdate of May 6” and created “to honor her daughter Lilibet’s birthdate of June 4.”
In earlier press materials and product descriptions, the candles were framed using their royal titles, with Signature Candle No. 506 tied to “Prince Archie of Sussex’s birthdate” and Signature Candle No. 604 to “Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s birthdate.” Each candle retails for $64 or can be purchased in larger gift sets, including The Mother’s Day Edit and The Signature Scent Collection.
Over the weekend, Town & Country’s advance report on the new products also referenced the kids’ titles, but I thought T&C was just… using the kids’ official names, given the children actually are prince and princess now (and have been since 2022). But it’s possible that Meghan and the As Ever team did a quick edit on the draft of the site’s descriptions for the candles, an edit to remove the royal titles. It does not matter to me whatsoever, but I know it matters a great deal to Meghan’s unhinged critics. I wish she didn’t have to temper every single thing she does because of the wall-to-wall criticism, you know? As for the lack of trademarks… that’s so weird to me, because I thought most “celebrity parents” trademark their kids’ names, not to create merch, but to keep OTHER PEOPLE from merchandising their children.
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s site, Meghan’s Instagram and As Ever’s Instagram.
Imagine the Richter-scale tantrums if the Sussexes tried to trademark QEII’s nickname, Lilibet, though. And if they can’t trademark Lilibet, it would look funny trademarking only her brother’s name.
The candles sound lovely. I do not care if they used the kids titles or not- that is not what is going to make me buy the candle.
They sure do sound lovely, I love all the scents she is mixing. I have a waterless diffuser and use some of those similar scents daily.. I love candles and treated myself to 604 which I will probably never burn lol
I like a good scented candle as the next girl but $64 is a bit much. As Ever will continue to be aspirational.
It is a bit much (maybe a lot much), but comparing my As Ever candle to the less expensive ones I’ve bought I can tell how artificial the cheaper ones smell.
I have the No. 519 candle in our bedroom, and you can actually smell it when you walk in, without it being lit or on a warmer.
That said, I do wish As Ever would offer votive sets! I’m a big fan of Snif candles, who offer some of their scents in sets of 3 votives for $19. I buy them to make sure I like the scent before I get the big ones, but it’s also just a great affordable option.
Yes, we all have different budgets. A lot of squadies were buying shoes and handbags meghan has worn. I bought one bag because I loved it and wore it to death. Good quality candles last a long time, I’d definitely treat myself to a few if there wasn’t a scent allergy in my house. I literally bought something the other day for 65 dollars because whilst I wanted the product, I really wanted the packaging. 🤣
Packaging engineers get me every time so I completely understand lol
I’m a sucker for things like that, too. I have way too many perfumes that I basically bought for the bottle and never actually wear, lol.
I’m not sure if either of these stories are necessarily true. Page Six or the People story. I know that the Sussexes do work with People directly often, but they still do print stuff that’s just speculation a lot of the time. Just because the reaction to their kids is so unhinged, that I cannot imagine them not taking steps to protect their kids from malicious actors using their names in a negative or salacious manner.
That said, who cares if they ( I’m saying they because why is everything always Meghan does) trademarked their kids names. There’s zero reason that someone, especially their parents, owning a trademark to someone’s fairly distinct names should bother you unless you want to make money off of them yourself.
There’s a People article from 4/19 that I saw a day or two ago, that says “In official press materials and product descriptions [about the new releases], Archie and Lilibet are referred to by their full royal titles.” There’s additional details quoting information about each individual candle. I’d believe anything sleazy about Page Six (which I haven’t looked at), but I’m inclined to believe what People is saying about the content of the advance publicity materials, especially if Town & Country is also saying the same thing.
Not that it’s hugely important either way, though IMO probably a good call to have a simple description on the As ever website. Avoids at least one potential thing (titles) for the BM to complain about; wouldn’t it be funny if they decided to bitch about As ever NOT using the kid’s titles? In the upside down, left is right world of the British media, you can’t predict what BS will come out next!
I thought it was smart of them to grab trademarks, email addresses, websites, etc. because why should a deranger (either private individual or British press) have those? I assumed that Serena Williams or other friends suggested it. It makes sense.
And I agree that the British press is crying about it b/c they want to make money from them (and it’s a day ending in y but it’s mostly the money).
I think the nod to the children is so adorable.
Also, I doubt they would ever rattle that wasp’s nest. If they used their titles for profit. They agreed when leaving England. On top of Meghan is too graceful to be that tacky. And they know the British media would crucify them. Even if legally, they have every right to use them.
Also, still waiting for the apricot spread to come back. PLEASE MEGS BRING IT BACK! Every other brand I have tried is not as good.
I doubt she changed anything in response to the criticism. I just think in official releases (like a press release) they use their child’s legal name.
the Mother’s Day offerings were nice but I didn’t buy anything. I loved the chocolate bars but for pieces like that, I can go to my local chocolate shop and get a pound for half that price (maybe not quite half, that place has gotten pricey, lol.)
I bought the tea for two for my mom for Mother’s Day, because she’s a hardcore fan ever since she just randomly watched the Oprah interview because she didn’t have anything else to do that evening. If she knew how to work social media she probably be a hardcore Squaddie LOL.
But yeah for myself I was hoping that she would do more with the chocolate bars, hopefully that’s coming. I was hoping that it would be out for Easter, but I’m not going to rush her. I’ll just wait patiently for the next drop.
Teach her how to work social media! I bet she’d be a firecracker. 💜 to yr mom.
The kids are American and likely will attend American schools throughout their childhoods. It makes sense not to promote their titles to give them a more normal experience. Harry uses his title to draw global attention to his issues but he doesn’t have people call him by his title.
“In earlier press materials and product descriptions, the candles were framed using their royal titles…
Yeh, I do NOT believe this. This seems to be People rag jumping to co-opt the narrative of Page Six and other UK media. Had any member of the press received such materials with the children’s titles they would have published photographs of them. So no. The hate train to cash in on the Sussexes’ names, and especially to monetise Meghan’s, continues.
If I recall Meghan wrote that the new candles were inspired by her children Archie and Lili. She didn’t say Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. I’ve never heard Meghan or Harry refer to their children by anything other than their first names. Even William and Kate refer to their children by just their first names.
I wish there were more flavors of fruit spread. Love the strawberry and orange marmalade. Haven’t tried the raspberry yet.
I would love to see cherry as an option 🍒
Cherry would be great along with blackberry. I’ve tried all the flavors except for apricot. All have been exceptional and I try to hoard my last jars! No other spreads in stores can match Meghan’s flavors.
If I were Meghan, I would have stated “no, we didn’t trademark our children’s names but what a wonderful idea!” and then trademark the hell out of those kids names! Protect your babies and protect your peace Sussex family!
Agree. I don’t want anyone else trying to cash in on those kids’ names.
If anyone on this site gave another person shit for having something mildly related to their beloved ones in their work/projects…then they should get shit for giving someone shit. People across all walks of life use their family/friends/important things in their work (that they sell) or their art. Like, wow, she’s really tapping into my feelings because she a scent made after her kids (not)
That being said, I’m sure the ginger part came from more of his hair then his skin-tone. So, if the children had been darker but still had red hair, would it be okay to you? Because it doesn’t seem like any of the scents were related to SKIN color. With Archies being related to his hair color.
I guess I will be the wet blanket then. If people would have nothing to say if a member of the royal family marketed a product using their children’s name(s), then no problem. But I’m not sure that would happen, and there’s nothing to compare it to because they don’t, or haven’t, that I’ve seen. I don’t think even Sarah Ferguson did and that’s saying something.
I’d have preferred a Harry candle; hot ginger man with an infusion of the ocean and horses, for example; not sure about the horses part.
🤷♀️ Just saw the other day that Nicky Hilton named her jewelry line after her two kids’ first names. Celebrity not royalty, but potato po-tah-to.
She is so beautiful in the header pic. What a gorgeous Queen she would have (should have) been.