Meghan Markle Shares a Rare Look at Her Montecito-Inspired Advent Calendar

THE RUNDOWN

• Meghan Markle gave a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her As Ever advent calendar, which features Compartés chocolates inspired by her garden in Montecito, California.
• The Duchess of Sussex was working on the calendar in June, prior to her move back to the U.K.
• Meghan’s As Ever team remains based in California.

Meghan Markle is launching an advent calendar for As Ever today—and ahead of the release, the Duchess of Sussex gave fans a rare look into the process of creating it. The limited-edition calendar features 24 handcrafted chocolates from Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés inspired by the garden at her Montecito home. “Christmas planning in June,” Meghan wrote, confirming the work had begun before she and Prince Harry moved back to the U.K.

The calendar is decorated with an illustration of the couple’s California house adorned with Christmas decorations. As Town & Country pointed out, Meghan included some personal symbols, from the two palm trees that drew her and Harry to the property when they were first house hunting (she told The Cut in 2022 that Harry had seen the trees and said, “My love, it’s us”) to a chicken, alluding to the chicken farm they have. (Last month, People learned their chickens would not move to the U.K. with them and would remain in Montecito.)

Meghan’s California lifestyle remains at the heart of her brand. Prior to their move, the couple’s rep confirmed that they would be keeping the property. The spokesperson also described their relocation as temporary in a statement: “On the heels of a wonderful trip with family and friends this summer, Harry and Meghan have decided to spend an extended period in the U.K. this autumn. They are excited to have their children spend more time in the country that’s such an important part of their family’s story.”

Meghan’s As Ever team remains in California. In late August, The Telegraph reported that Meghan will be traveling back there “often” to work with her colleagues; the couple’s Archewell Productions team is also based there.

Earlier this month, a source close to the couple told People that the duchess’s current priority is her children Archie and Lilibet’s adjustment to the U.K. Harry and Meghan “have just moved halfway across the world, and it’s been really busy getting the kids settled,” the insider said. “Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back.”