A decade ago, the Duchess of Sussex dismissed the notion of selling candles priced at $100 (£75) or more as "obnoxious," insisting such luxury items contradicted her accessible business philosophy.
Now, critics have resurfaced footage of those remarks following the launch of her As Ever lifestyle brand, which offers a Signature Scent Collection retailing at $256 (£190), more than double the figure she once condemned.
"There are no $100 candles on my site - that's so obnoxious," Meghan declared to an audience in 2016 whilst promoting her now-defunct blog The Tig.
"I just want things on there that you can have."
The apparent shift in approach has prompted one critic to observe: "Ironically, she is now selling candles on her website for more than $100. This is how your own words can come back to bite."
The remarks were made at the Create & Cultivate conference in Atlanta during October 2016, the same year she began her relationship with Prince Harry.
At the time, Meghan spoke passionately about her lifestyle blog, describing The Tig as "my baby" with ambitious expansion plans.
"I didn't want MeghanMarkle.com. I don't want this just to be me. I want this to be a community much greater than that," she told the audience.
She characterised her platform as having developed into "an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity."
"I've always crafted it as 'aspirational girl next door', like, you can aspire for it but totally attain it too," she explained, emphasising her commitment to products ordinary consumers could afford.
Despite these growth ambitions, The Tig shut down in 2017, shortly before her engagement to Harry was announced.
A decade on, the duchess has returned to the lifestyle sector with As Ever, a brand featuring jams, teas, candles and flower sprinkles.
Her Signature Scent Collection, priced at £190, is marketed on the As Ever website as "a luxurious and stand-out set certain to delight the most discerning of palates."
The brand also offers $110 (£81) "Morning Ritual" and "Evening Ritual" sets, which bundle honey, tea, and a candle together and are accompanied by a limited-edition matchbox.
Whether the luxury long matches will be available for separate purchase remains unclear.
Critics have seized upon the resurfaced video footage of Meghan's earlier stance on premium-priced candles, highlighting what they perceive as a stark departure from her previously stated principles about accessible pricing.
Supporters of the Sussexes have countered the criticism by pointing out that individual candles from the collection are available at $64 (£47) each, placing them below the threshold Meghan previously described as excessive.
The duchess has revealed that the candle scents draw inspiration from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as well as her wedding to Harry at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
The couple, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020, now reside in Montecito, California, with their two children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, four.
Their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel attracted an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion viewers and was attended by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, David Beckham and George Clooney.
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