As Ever: Inside the Duchess of Sussex's Lifestyle Brand
How As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle brand, turned garden fruit into jam that sells out in minutes — and joined a long royal food tradition.
It began, as the best kitchen stories do, with a glut of fruit. Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, had been simmering preserves from her own Montecito garden and sending the little jars to friends long before any of it became a business. When the first proper batch went on sale in the spring of 2025, it vanished within minutes.
That jar of jam is the founding artefact of As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle brand — a warm, pared-back range of preserves, honeys, teas and candles that has become one of the most talked-about royal ventures in years. It is also, in its own Californian way, the latest chapter in a very old royal habit: lending a famous name and a discerning palate to things people can actually buy.
From Fortnum’s hampers to the King’s organic oat biscuits, the crown has always had a hand in the good life. As Ever simply tells that story in a softer, more personal accent.
From American Riviera Orchard to As Ever
The brand did not arrive fully formed. It was first trailed in 2024 under the name American Riviera Orchard — a nod to the Santa Barbara coastline the Sussexes call home — before the Duchess announced a rechristening. On 18 February 2025, ahead of her Netflix series, she revealed the new name: As Ever.
The phrase is a small act of storytelling in itself. “As ever” is how one signs off a warm letter, and the Duchess has said the name reflects both constancy and the idea that this is simply who she has always been — a keen cook and host, now sharing the results more widely.
Crucially, Netflix came on board not only as her television partner but as a partner in the business, giving the venture a serious commercial engine. It was a modern arrangement for a modern royal brand: content and commerce, hand in hand.
Jam that sells out in minutes
The debut drop, on 2 April 2025, made the headlines write themselves. The flagship raspberry fruit spread — priced at a friendly $12 and presented in clean, cream-labelled jars — sold out across the United States within minutes of going live, as did much of the rest of the collection.
It was a striking echo of a phenomenon usually associated with royal fashion: the sell-out. Where the Princess of Wales can empty the shelves of a blazer, the Duchess of Sussex proved she could do the same for preserves. Demand, it turned out, had been simmering as long as the fruit.
The raspberry spread remains the brand’s signature and best-seller — the piece everything else is built around, and the clearest link back to those first jars from the garden.
What’s in the As Ever pantry
For all the fanfare, the range itself is deliberately modest and edited — a small pantry of good things rather than a sprawling catalogue. The heart of it is the fruit: alongside the raspberry spread sit a strawberry spread and an orange marmalade, each around $12, gathered into a Fruit Spread Trio at roughly $36 and a Signature Fruit Spread Gift Box at about $42.
Then come the honeys, which have drawn some of the warmest praise. There is a Sage Honey with Honeycomb (around $32), a newer Lavender Honey (around $32), and a Honey Duo Gift Box pairing wildflower and orange-blossom varieties for about $62. A jar of Flower Sprinkles — edible confetti to scatter over a cake or a bowl of yoghurt — adds a touch of whimsy at around $15, and a small line of curated teas rounds out the table.
The through-line is restraint: real ingredients, soft neutral packaging, and a sense that everything is meant to be used at an unhurried breakfast rather than displayed.
Candles and the quiet-luxury aesthetic
More recently, As Ever has stepped beyond the pantry and into the home with two signature candles, each around $64. No. 084 layers water lotus, sandalwood and California poppy; No. 519 blends Moroccan mint, cardamom and tea leaves. The numbering is a nice touch — it hints at a perfumer’s archive rather than a celebrity line.
Anyone who has followed the Duchess’s wardrobe will recognise the sensibility instantly. The candles, like the jam jars, speak the same language as her clothes: soft neutrals, beautiful materials, almost no logo, and a preference for the understated over the flashy. It is the pantry equivalent of “quiet luxury” — the same aesthetic that runs through her whole California wardrobe, poured into wax and glass.
There are gift sets, too, built for the host: The Go-To Hostess Gift and the When the Day Slows Set, each around $132, bundling preserves, tea and a candle into a single considered present.
A long royal tradition of good taste
As Ever may feel thoroughly of the moment, but the underlying idea is centuries old. British royalty has always been entwined with the things people put on their tables — most formally through the royal warrant, the mark of approval granted to the tradespeople who have long supplied the royal households.
The most direct modern parallel is King Charles III’s own venture. Founded in 1990 as Duchy Originals, His Majesty’s organic food brand began with oaten biscuits and a commitment to sustainable farming, and today reaches millions of shoppers as Waitrose Duchy Organic — with profits supporting his charitable work. For the full story, see our piece on Duchy Organic, the King’s food brand.
Seen in that light, As Ever is less a departure than a continuation. A royal figure putting their name, taste and standards behind food and home goods is a thoroughly established idea; the Duchess has simply given it a Californian setting and a direct-to-consumer, personal-brand shape.
Press notices and public appetite
The reception has been notably warm. American morning television declared one of the honeys “the best honey I ever tasted,” and glossy titles from Harper’s Bazaar to Marie Claire, Elle and PopSugar have all covered the range, singling out the raspberry spread and the honeys for particular praise.
What comes through the coverage is not just curiosity about a royal name, but genuine enthusiasm for the products themselves — the flavour, the packaging, the gentle ritual they suggest. That distinction matters. A famous label opens the door; a jar people actually want to reorder is what keeps it open.
Why it resonates
As Ever works because it feels like an honest extension of its founder rather than a licensing deal. It began in a real kitchen with real fruit, it looks and tastes of a particular unhurried way of living, and it carries the same considered restraint the Duchess brings to everything from a cashmere jumper to a candle.
In joining the long line of royal-associated tables — from warrant-holding grocers to the King’s own organic shelves — As Ever proves that the appetite for a little royal good taste is as strong as ever. Browse more of our British Living stories for the food, homes and traditions that make royal life so quietly aspirational.
Frequently asked questions
What is As Ever, Meghan’s brand?
As Ever is the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle brand, offering fruit spreads, honeys, curated teas, edible flower sprinkles and signature candles. It grew from preserves Meghan made with fruit from her own garden and launched to the public in 2025.
What was As Ever originally called?
The brand was first announced in 2024 as American Riviera Orchard. On 18 February 2025, ahead of the Duchess’s Netflix series, it was renamed As Ever.
When did As Ever launch and did it sell out?
Its first products went on sale on 2 April 2025 and sold out across the United States within minutes. The $12 raspberry fruit spread was the standout, and it remains the brand’s best-seller.
What does As Ever sell?
The range includes raspberry, strawberry and orange marmalade fruit spreads (around $12 each), sage and lavender honeys (around $32), a wildflower-and-orange-blossom Honey Duo, edible Flower Sprinkles, curated teas, and two signature candles at around $64, plus gift sets around $132.
Is As Ever connected to Netflix?
Yes. Netflix is both the Duchess’s television partner, through her series With Love, Meghan, and a business partner in As Ever, giving the brand a significant commercial backer.
How is As Ever like the King’s Duchy Organic brand?
Both are food brands built on a royal figure’s name, taste and values. King Charles III founded Duchy Originals in 1990 — now Waitrose Duchy Organic — while As Ever is the Duchess of Sussex’s modern, direct-to-consumer version of the same idea.
Where is As Ever made and sold?
As Ever is an American brand rooted in the Sussexes’ home on the California coast, and its products have so far been sold online to customers in the United States. Availability and ranges change with each release.
Product names and prices are correct as of 2026 and may change with each release; for the current range see the brand’s own website.
