Buckingham Palace has entered the holiday market with an official 2026 chocolate advent calendar priced at $15.85. This budget-friendly option undercuts a competing $148 luxury version launched by Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.
The Royal Festive Chocolate Advent Calendar is available through the Royal Collection Trust Shop, offering worldwide shipping. The 3.4-ounce (95-gram) British-made box features 24 milk-chocolate doors and showcases illustrations of iconic royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Comparing the Royal Collection Trust and As Ever Options
The vast price difference has drawn significant public attention, creating a gap exceeding $130 between the two seasonal products. While the royal offering leans into classic monarchical iconography and standard milk chocolate treats, Meghan Markle’s As Ever calendar targets a luxury, bespoke demographic.
Announced via Instagram on September 30, 2026, the As Ever limited-edition calendar was produced in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés. Priced at $148 and restricted to U.S. shipping only, the keepsake box features a design inspired by Meghan’s Montecito home and garden. Its interior holds 24 handmade chocolates with artisan flavors like strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and orange marmalade spreads, alongside a dark chocolate ganache truffle and a specialty piece finished with signature flower sprinkles.
Each chocolate in the As Ever set displays a countdown number written in the Duchess’s personal penmanship and hand-painted with edible gold luster.
Customizable Options and Additional Holiday Offerings
Alongside its standard chocolate calendar, the Royal Collection Trust Shop introduced a reusable, unfilled custom gift calendar priced at $33.03. This white box features a snowy illustration of the Buckingham Palace façade and includes 24 fillable drawers. Shoppers can separately purchase miniature items from the royal shop to place inside, ranging from $6.60 chocolate coins and $9 Balmoral organic honey to $15.85 hand creams and $43 bag charms.
The wider Buckingham Palace holiday collection also features festive preserves, mince pies, a $92 Sweet Treat Hamper containing shortbread and fudge, and hand-finished tree ornaments, such as a crown-wearing corgi honoring the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Both product releases mark the unofficial start of the 2026 holiday shopping season, highlighting two entirely distinct approaches to festive retail branding between the British royal establishment and the California-based lifestyle venture.
