Meghan’s $148 Advent Calendar vs. the Palace’s $16 Version as Cotswolds Neighbors Complain

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Buckingham Palace and Meghan Markle both have chocolate advent calendars on offer this Christmas, with a £ 100 difference between their prices. The Royal Collection Trust's version costs £ 12 and contains 24 chocolates. Meghan's as-ever calendar, created with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartes, was priced at $ 148 and has already sold out. The two calendars also take different approaches to their designs. The palace version features Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyrood House with ceremonial guards, union flags, and a Christmas tree topped by a crown. Meghan's packaging features a sketch of the Sussex's Montecito home. The chocolates include countdown numbers she hand-painted with edible gold luster, along with a special chocolate finished with Meghan's own flower sprinkles.

1:03 Fillings include strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade, as well as Compartes dark chocolate ganache truffle. The limited edition calendar was available exclusively in the United States. The Royal Collection Trust is also introducing a reusable calendar priced from £ 25, with 24 empty compartments for buyers to fill themselves. Its white box carries a winter illustration of Buckingham Palace, Gifts cost extra, with options including £ 5 chocolate coins, £ 7 Balmoral honey, £ 12 hand cream and a £ 43 bag charm. The wider Royal Christmas range includes a crown-wearing corgi tree decoration, festive preserves, mince pies and hot chocolate. A £ 70 sweet treat hamper contains chocolate chip shortbread, clotted cream fudge and hot chocolate.

1:54 A photograph promoting Meghan's calendar... has prompted an unexpected debate online with some viewers asking whether she appeared to have six fingers. The picture shows Megan opening the calendar's doors with one hand resting against the packaging. Shadows and the position of her fingers led some social media users to question whether the image contained a Photoshop fail or an editing error, but others pointed out that the five fingernails were visible. According to Hello, the apparent extra finger was an optical illusion caused by her middle finger overlapping her ring finger. Good news if you missed out on Meghan's calendar. The Duchess is expanding as ever's Christmas range with a hostess basket, playing cards and three new chocolate bars. The collection is scheduled to launch on October 6th under the name The Holiday Collection, Chapter 1, with the tagline Merriment in the Making. The new wicker hostess basket brings together two scented candles, three jams, three varieties of herbal tea and a pot of flower sprinkles. There is also a double deck playing card set presented in a pale green box.

2:56 The cards have gold borders and carry, as ever, Palm Tree and Hummingbird's logo. The brand calls it the Keepsake Double Deck Parlor card set. The chocolate bars come in ginger lemon, lavender honey and hibiscus rose flavours. Prices for the new products had not yet been announced when the collection was previewed. In its announcement, as ever said, the holidays have a way of reminding us how much joy can be found in the moments that make up a life. They invite us to gather a little closer, to make things with our hands, to set the table with care. and to give generously to the people we love. For British shoppers, availability remains the obstacle, despite the Sussex's reported return to Britain as ever currently ships only within the United States. Meghan's new collection drew criticism from social media users who say it resembles products sold by the King's Highgrove shop. The Hostess Basket, Preserves and Teas prompted comparisons with Highgrove's established range of gifts and Christmas hampers. One user on X wrote, Private citizen Megan Markle said her brand was inspired by California life, but we're getting gardens, preserves, honey, flowers, and country living. The very territory Highgrove has occupied for years.

4:04 California gold to English country estate. Originality took the day off. Another said she is literally copying them exactly right down to the basket. Others criticized the presentation, with one describing Megan's basket as the predictably beige and boring offering that we've come to expect. while praising Highgrove's use of colour. The playing cards attracted complaints too. One commenter wrote, Megan Markle is really just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. A double deck of playing cards? I'm sorry, parlour cards? You can get a pack of playing cards for like $ 3, by the way. Megan is the subject of complaints circulating in a Cotswolds Village WhatsApp group, according to journalist and royal commentator Daisy McAndrew, who said some of the accounts are fourth or fifth hand. Speaking on the At Home with Vanessa podcast, McAndrew said, I happen to be in a WhatsApp group of the village that is next to Soho, so I have a house that we rent out there and I can tell you that the WhatsApp group has been absolutely alive and buzzing with complaints.

5:02 During the podcast discussion, host Vanessa said that she had heard accounts of tempers and demands of certain treatment at Soho Farmhouse. McAndrew said similar stories had circulated in the village group while acknowledging that some were far removed from anyone who might have witnessed an incident. Now, some of them are just, you know, I heard fourth hand, fifth hand. A lot of those people do spend an awful lot of time there. It's walking distance at Soho Farmhouse. And there has been stories about special treatment. On the other hand, you can imagine that her security would not want her going down, you know, the front gate. They might want her going into the back gate. And all that sort of disturbance would irritate the locals considerably. So, yes, there's definitely been grumblings and complaints going on. The Express also revisited comments from Cotswolds resident Lawrence Lewin Bowen about how Megan might settle into the area. I think she's going to need to be very genuine, he said. I think that's the big moment here, is that the Cotswold folk can really sniff bullshit. They can really sniff when people aren't being who they are. He continued, so I think the Duchess is going to need to not be too much about the airs and graces if she's going to be picking the kids up from the school gates. I wouldn't want to take them, other Cotswolds, mums on. I wouldn't want to piss them off, I can tell you now.

6:15 Unlike in Montecito, they don't have the celebrity safety net like they did with the likes of Oprah Winfrey. The Express says it has contacted Soho Farmhouse for comment. More palace in just a moment. Meghan was reportedly consumed with jealousy over Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos' wedding. Now Amazon could become a business partner for Prince Harry. Gossip columnist Rob Shooter previously claimed, Lauren is everything Meghan thought she'd become. Instead, Megan's peddling preserves while Lauren's draped in diamonds on the Kahn red carpet. A source told Radar Online, Amazon's immediate interest is Invictus, but there is an awareness that establishing a significant relationship with Harry could potentially lead to other projects. The insider stressed that a Diana film would be separate from any sponsorship agreement and that discussions remain at an early stage. An agreement could also bring Harry closer to Netflix's streaming rival, as one source put it, Prime Video competes directly with Netflix, so landing a Major Harry project would inevitably carry additional significance. Two British clergymen reportedly made their social media accounts private after receiving abusive messages over their criticism of Meghan Markle's luxury advent calendar.

7:25 GB News reports that Reverend Daniel French and Father Chris Phillips were targeted by individual users defending the Duchess' as-ever product. Reverend French had shared a photograph of Meghan and the calendar while recommending a cheaper alternative. For $ 5. 99, you can pre-order a Christian advent calendar with fair trade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. A donation is made to the leprosy mission. He also highlighted its little booklet on the meaning of Christmas. Some responses became personal. French was called evil, a demon, and a disgrace to the cloth. Another user accused him of having an ugly heart for so-called Christians. Phillips then supported French's position and received hostile messages himself.

8:08 One commenter wrote, Those who should be preaching love, kindness and the gospel are instead using their platforms to spread criticism and hostility. If you can't afford it, that's fine, but keep it moving. Stay in your lane and leave her stuff to those who can afford it. They also questioned why the clergy were focusing on Meghan when Buckingham Palace sells Advent calendars too. There you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for five bucks a month. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.