Make Page Six a Preferred Source Meghan Markle fans have been accused of “terrorizing” two British priests after they criticized her pricey advent calendar and suggested a cheaper, more traditional alternative, the Daily Mail reported.The Duchess of Sussex, 45, is selling a luxury advent calendar filled with 24 chocolates for £112, or about $148, in collaboration with Los Angeles-based chocolatier Compartés.
The online feud began after Rev. Daniel French, an Anglican priest and London university chaplain, weighed in on Meghan’s new As Ever holiday offering.
French instead urged his followers to consider a $8 Christian advent calendar from the Meaningful Chocolate Company that includes Fairtrade chocolate, a Christmas story and activity booklet, while supporting the Leprosy Mission.
His post prompted a barrage of angry responses from some members of the so-called “Sussex Squad”, with critics branding him “evil” and “satan spawn” and accusing him of having an “ugly heart for a so-called Christian.”
Father Chris Phillips, a priest in southwest London, then backed French on X, writing that he had “encountered the Sussex Squad on here.”
Phillips subsequently faced his own wave of hostile messages and eventually locked his account and blocked some Meghan supporters, according to the Daily Mail.
One critic accused the priests of using their platforms to attack Meghan, while another called them “sorry excuses for Christianity.”
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The controversy comes as Meghan continues to expand her As Ever lifestyle brand, including a new holiday collection that has drawn comparisons to Buckingham Palace’s festive offerings.
Her “Hostess Basket” features teas, fruit spreads, flower sprinkles and scented candles, while the collection also includes the $148 chocolate advent calendar.
The advent calendar kerfuffle threatens to mar the first Christmas across the pond for the Sussexes after their shocking return to England earlier this year.
Meghan and Prince Harry returned to the UK with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in August.
Since the move, Meghan has been settling into a new routine that includes regular reformer Pilates classes at Soho Farmhouse’s Wellness Barn in Oxfordshire.
However, the couple have also faced security concerns surrounding their children’s new school, and pulled their children from the school just two days into the term.
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