Buckingham Palace has released its advent calendars for the 2026 holiday season, with its chocolate offering priced at £12, significantly less than the £112 luxury version from Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand, As Ever. The Palace's calendar, weighing 95g and available on the Royal Collection Trust's website, aims to 'capture the magic of the festive season' across three royal residences.
Both the Palace's and the Duchess of Sussex's calendars feature 24 chocolates. However, the Palace's offering is £100 cheaper than the 'Montecito-inspired' version from As Ever, which is exclusively available for purchase in the U.S. Meghan Markle's limited-edition calendar is pre-filled with treats from Los Angeles-based gourmet chocolatier Compartés. The packaging includes a sketch of the couple's former California home and features countdown numbers hand-painted in Meghan's own handwriting with edible gold luster. Flavors mentioned include strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, orange marmalade, and a special chocolate with floral sprinkles.
In addition to the chocolate version, Buckingham Palace has also introduced an unfilled advent calendar priced at £25. This customizable white box features an illustration of Buckingham Palace in winter, allowing customers to select their own surprises to place behind each of the 24 doors. These separately sold items include chocolate coins, honey, hand cream, and a bag charm.
The design of the royal chocolate advent calendar depicts a Christmas tree with a crown topper, Union flags, and ceremonial guardsmen. The Royal Collection Trust announced on September 28 that its Christmas Shop would reopen at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace on November 13. On October 2, the shop's Instagram revealed new launches, including festive treats and gifts inspired by royal tradition.
Meghan Markle's As Ever brand hinted at new offerings two days later, with a post showing the Duchess in a kitchen preparing items for the brand's first advent calendar. The post stated, 'The season of giving is almost here, and we have a few surprises in store.'
New items at the Buckingham Palace Shop this season also include hand-finished tree decorations, such as a corgi wearing a crown, and new hampers. The Sweet Treat Hamper, priced at £70, contains popular items like chocolate chip shortbread cookies and clotted cream fudge. The Royal Festive Pantry range offers fine foods like mince pies and festive preserves.
Meghan's advent calendar is a collaboration with Compartés' creative director Jonathan Grahm. A press release highlighted that 'every detail was considered with care,' including the hand-painted countdown numbers. The calendar is available for pre-order in the U.S. on the As Ever website, with deliveries expected to begin early next month. This collaboration follows previous As Ever x Compartés chocolate bars.
Prior to the launch, Meghan shared a video on Instagram Stories with Grahm, hinting at the upcoming product. The clip, set to Michael Bublé's Christmas song, was captioned 'Christmas planning in June' and included early prints of the box's artwork and footage of her dog, Pula.