A row over Meghan Markle’s £112 advent calendar has escalated after two British clergymen were subjected to a barrage of online abuse for promoting a cheaper Christian alternative.
Rev Daniel French, an Anglican priest and London university chaplain, suggested that shoppers could instead buy a £5.99 calendar containing Fairtrade chocolate, a Christmas story and activity booklet, while raising money for The Leprosy Mission.
After his post, supporters of the Duchess of Sussex, commonly known as the Sussex Squad, accused him of attacking Meghan’s product. Some responses described him as “evil”, a “demon” and a “disgrace to the cloth”.
Rev French wrote: “For £5.99 you can pre-order a Christian Advent Calendar with Fairtrade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. A donation is made to The Leprosy Mission.”
He added that the calendar included “a little booklet on the meaning of Christmas”. It also contains a 24-page story and activity booklet about the birth of Christ.
Clergyman locks his X account after abuse
Father Chris Phillips, a Protestant colleague whose parish is in Benhilton, south-west London, backed Rev French on X. He later wrote that he had “encountered the Sussex Squad on here”, adding: “Wow.”
His defenders said Father Phillips had been “terrorised” by online trolls after the exchange. Following about 24 hours of abuse, including threats and defamatory claims about his character, he locked his account and blocked a number of pro-Meghan supporters.
Critics accused him of hypocrisy and cowardice for restricting access to his account. One wrote: “Why are you joining in and trolling a woman for selling an advent calendar? You must be a shining example of Christianity to your parishioners.”
Another response said the two clergymen were “sorry excuses for Christianity”, while a third wrote: “What an evil way of trying to garner Christmas support. God sees you.”
Both priests have been asked to comment.
Meghan’s £112 chocolate calendar
Meghan launched the limited-edition advent calendar through her lifestyle brand, As Ever, in collaboration with Los Angeles-based gourmet chocolate company Compartés.
The box contains 24 handcrafted chocolates, with flavours including strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade. It also includes a chocolate decorated with what the company describes as Meghan’s own flower sprinkles.
As Ever said the design was inspired by Meghan’s former Montecito home and garden. The box features a festive illustration of the property, while the countdown numbers were hand-painted in her handwriting using edible gold lustre.
The product is available to pre-order in the United States, with delivery scheduled from early November. Compartés is also offering three other advent calendars priced at $120 (£91) each.
Meghan promoted the calendar in an online advert wearing clothing and jewellery estimated to be worth £75,000. Her outfit included a yellow-gold tennis necklace by Jennifer Meyer valued at about £46,000.
The Duchess has continued promoting As Ever, which sells products including jam and flower sprinkles, after launching the brand last year. The advent calendar is described as the latest stage of its collaboration with Compartés, following the sale of chocolate bars priced at $12 (£9).
