Meghan Markle Is Banking on As Ever’s 2026 Advent Calendar Being a ‘Hit’: ‘Can’t Afford Another Flop’

Meghan Markle is hoping her latest As Ever offering proves to be a sweet success, a source tells Star.

On Wednesday, September 30, the lifestyle brand announced the release of its first-ever holiday advent calendar on Instagram.

Limited-edition and handcrafted, the $148 gourmet offering was created in collaboration with Los Angeles-based chocolatier Compartés, according to its product page, and comes in packaging modeled after the Montecito, California, home the Duchess of Sussex, 45, shares with her husband, Prince Harry.

“Meghan loves really delicious, high-quality chocolate,” the source says. “But when it comes to advent calendars, the chocolate is always so low quality. She’s convinced there’s a hole in the market, so she created something beautiful and festive with really yummy chocolate.”

However, the 2026 collectible is currently only available for preorder.

“She’s very excited and insists that this is going to be a hit — still, Meghan is trying to be strategic,” the source adds. “She’s doing a limited run to test the market before she orders more. That way, she can avoid another situation like she had with the jam where she was left with piles of unsold stock.”

As Star previously reported, As Ever’s jams and candles were allegedly being given away to Netflix employees for free after the brand was left with massive amounts of unpurchased inventory. The streaming giant had helped launch the product line in conjunction with Markle’s now-canceled With Love, Meghan series.

“Meghan can’t afford another flop,” says the source. “If this advent calendar is a hit with her followers the way she’s predicting, her aim is to get more into the gourmet chocolate market. She sees a lot of room for growth.”