Well, the Sussexes have certainly made their presence known this week. Meghan has been sharing her catch-up with Malala Yousafzai and getting an early start on Christmas, while Harry has been appearing across our screens in clips from his new MasterClass on grief. There’s also talk of As Ever heading to Britain, although anyone hoping to stock up on Meghan’s jam may have to wait a little longer.
Elsewhere, Catherine and Charlotte enjoyed a mother-and-daughter train ride, Zara Tindall revealed what it was like having her father as her riding coach, and Camilla has a complaint about the King that will be familiar to anyone who has tried to read beside a noisy partner.
Word on the street is that Meghan is planning to expand As Ever into the UK market, with teas, scented candles and bookmarks expected to be among the first arrivals.
We don’t yet know the full line-up, but reports suggest her fruit spreads won’t initially make the trip because of food import and export rules. Flower sprinkles are also said to be missing from the selection, so the products most closely associated with Meghan’s kitchen may be the ones British customers have to wait for.
Her Christmas collection launched last week, bringing together gift baskets, chocolates and keepsake playing cards. The advent calendar had already opened for preorder, with 24 handcrafted chocolates made in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés.
The price? US$148, which works out at US$6.17 per chocolate.
Well, I won’t be buying that one. Cozzie lives! Let’s be real, who can afford to spend that much on a chocolate every morning before we’ve even bought the Christmas presents?
For those with a more generous festive budget, the calendar comes in a keepsake box inspired by Meghan’s Montecito home and garden, with flavours drawn from her As Ever spreads. Even the countdown numbers feature her handwriting in edible gold lustre. It’s clearly aimed at the luxury gift market, but my December chocolate requirements can be met for considerably less.
Meghan has been sharing behind-the-scenes footage of the planning with Compartés boss Jonathan Grahm, giving her Instagram followers another glimpse of how the range came together.
Christmas itself looks set to be a family affair with her mother, Doria Ragland. People reports that Harry and Meghan plan to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Doria, with California the likely Christmas destination. A return to Britain, it seems, does not mean a return to Sandringham for the holidays.
Meghan also caught up with Malala Yousafzai for afternoon tea at Claridge’s in London, with photographs from their meeting shared for International Day of the Girl.
The tea was on 7 October, ahead of the awareness day on 11 October, when they announced that 100 per cent of net proceeds from As Ever jams and teas sold that day would support Malala Fund’s work for girls’ education.
It’s a cause the pair have discussed together before. Meghan and Harry joined Malala for a virtual conversation marking the same day in 2020, so this latest collaboration builds on an existing connection.
Between the tea photographs and the Christmas launch footage, Meghan has had plenty to share this week, while Harry’s contribution to our social media feeds has been a rather more personal one.
Harry’s new MasterClass, Redefining Grief: Building Resilience Through Loss, sees him sit down with neuroscientist and grief expert Dr Mary-Frances O’Connor to discuss the loss of his mother and how it has shaped his life.
For anyone wondering what MasterClass is, it’s a subscription service with prerecorded courses you can watch at home. Harry’s runs for about an hour and 40 minutes across 20 lessons, pairing his experiences with O’Connor’s knowledge of grief. Harry was reportedly although unconfirmed paid between $100,000 and $250,000 for his involvement in the MasterClass.
Some of the most striking moments concern the memories he lost while trying to shut out the pain of Diana’s death.
“I couldn’t remember my mum’s laugh. I couldn’t remember what she looked like,” he says in a promotional clip carried by ABC News.
Harry was 12 when Diana died in 1997. He describes feeling that being happy without her would somehow be disloyal and believing he needed to remain sad to show how much he missed her.
That is a difficult thing to hear from someone whose childhood grief played out in front of the world. The photographs from those days are familiar to so many of us, but remembering the public events and being able to remember your own mother are very different things.
He also explains how a therapist suggested using Diana’s perfume to bring back memories he had struggled to reach, according to People’s account of the class.
Another revelation concerns the time he spent in Canada with Meghan and baby Archie in late 2019. Away from the pressures in Britain, Harry says he experienced an adrenaline crash within days and a period of depression lasting about two weeks.
He describes having become so accustomed to stress that he struggled to function without it.
Public engagements had also brought anxiety, including a fear of people noticing him sweating without knowing why. These days, Harry says he tries to balance his work with being a husband and father by spending no more than ten days away from Meghan and their children. His work with veterans and the Invictus Games also features in the conversation about finding purpose.
Diana’s 30th anniversary falls next year, and there is talk of Harry marking it with a documentary. People says that is among the possibilities being explored, although a project has not been confirmed.
Catherine and Charlotte caused a little excitement among fellow passengers when they were spotted travelling on London’s Elizabeth line last Saturday.
The pair reportedly chatted with people opposite them before getting off at Tottenham Court Road, with Catherine holding her 11-year-old daughter’s hand and security accompanying them.
Their destination hasn’t been confirmed, and I’m happy to leave that part of their day to them. It sounds like a cute mother-and-daughter outing, but we won’t be publishing the photographs or footage taken on their private journey.
A trip on public transport might be routine for most families, although I imagine recognising the Princess of Wales across the carriage would give you something to talk about when you got home.
Zara Tindall has been talking about growing up with Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and it turns out Anne was the more relaxed parent when it came to riding.
Speaking on the Talk Horse podcast, Zara described her father as a critical coach whose praise was hard to earn.
“He was a tough coach,” she said, adding: “I’m trying not to be quite that bad with my own kids.”
Her daughter Mia has already delivered an eye roll in response to some advice. Parents everywhere will recognise that one, although being an Olympic medallist must make it particularly tempting to point out that you do know a thing or two.
Charles and Camilla like to read before dinner, but the King’s enjoyment of his book can interfere with hers.
“When I’m deep in a book, I’ll hear him roaring with laughter about something. It’s very off-putting,” Camilla says in the BBC documentary The Book That Changed My Life.
Charles allegedly enjoys P.G. Wodehouse and biographies, while Camilla favours historical fiction and thrillers. I can sympathise with wanting to get through a good chapter without someone beside you laughing loudly enough to pull you out of it.
Harry and Meghan are due in Nottingham on 15 October for their first official joint outing since returning to Britain, with visits involving a food bank, the Community Recording Studio and youth charity Epic Partners planned.
Next week brings a more sombre engagement, with Charles, Camilla and William visiting Aberfan on 21 October, the 60th anniversary of the disaster that killed 116 children and 28 adults. They will meet survivors and bereaved families at the memorial garden on the former site of Pantglas School, which was engulfed when a colliery spoil tip collapsed in 1966.
Until next week keep your tiaras polished and the tea hot!
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