Inside Meghan Markle’s Unique Thanksgiving Preparations: A Royal Twist on Tradition

Meghan Markle recently offered a glimpse into her family’s Thanksgiving preparations at their lavish $30 million home in Montecito, California. Alongside Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, the family is embracing a personal touch for their holiday feast.

In the latest edition of her lifestyle brand newsletter, As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex shared that the family is busy gathering sage from their garden. This aromatic herb is a favorite of Meghan’s and is destined to enhance their homemade Thanksgiving meal. The former actress, now 44, has been keenly involved in this activity, often showcasing her love for gardening on Instagram over the past year.

The newsletter highlights Meghan’s connection with nature, explaining that the enchanting images of her strolling through what appears to be lavender are actually scenes of flowering sage. This particular variety, known as Santa Barbara, is a staple in their garden and adds a vibrant purple hue to their landscape.

Harvesting sage has become a cherished family affair, with Prince Harry, 41, and their young children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, joining in. The involvement of the whole family in gathering this key ingredient underscores their commitment to a homemade and heartfelt holiday celebration.

But this has not been a solo project of Markle’s as it was revealed that the entire family has been involved in the backyard harvest.

She recalled ‘strolls’ through the garden with Harry, Archie, Lilibet and their two pet dogs and how sage served as the backdrop of their family’s ‘sun-drenched moments’ together.

‘Those strolls, with Archie and Lili running in tow, her husband checking on the bees, Pula chasing the ball with Mia trying to keep up — those were the sun-drenched moments that made an everyday walk something a bit more magical,’ said the newsletter.

‘And that sage, that purple, that scent around the garden, was always there in the background.’

The sweet anecdote from Markle’s family life also served to promote As Ever’s new Sage Honey with Honeycomb, which retails for $32.00 for a 9 oz. jar on the official website.

The newsletter said that Markle was inspired to craft the product after adding her homegrown sage to the honey taken from her backyard bees.

It quickly became a ‘treat’ loved by her family as well as the friends she has gifted it to.

Now, she wants fans to have an opportunity to try the ‘stunning’ drizzle for themselves. 

‘Here we are: a stunning sage honey, aromatic and earthy, epicurean in its depth of flavor and elegant simplicity, inspired by the treats she enjoys at her home with her family,’ As Ever’s newsletter read.

‘Our Sage Honey is now available for your holiday table, to beautifully dress your Thanksgiving feast—either on the bird or on the vegetables. Or in a vinaigrette. Or as a spoonful in your tea. This special honey is the top holiday tip you’ll want to share. Enjoy!’ 

For those who’ve purchased Markle’s special honey, the A-lister provided extra trips on how to amplify the flavor and create their own ‘Montecito Thanksgiving love story.’

By adding Dijon mustard, lemon juice, various spices and cooking stock to As Ever’s Sage Honey, fans can create Markle’s delicious As Ever Sage Honey Glaze.

‘When dreaming up the Holiday Collection months ago, Meghan imagined what it would taste like to have a sage honey drizzled on her Thanksgiving turkey,’ the newsletter shared of Markle’s vision.

The official As Ever Instagram account shared footage of the brunette beauty looking fabulous in a burgundy holiday gown as she glazed a delicious turkey at her family’s dinner table.

The footage also showed Markle creating elegant table settings, including cloth napkins tied with green velvet ribbons atop porcelain dishes.

The post, shared Tuesday, was captioned: ‘Our table is set with a seat just for you’

The holidays are of extreme importance to Markle, whose been busy promoting As Ever’s Holiday Collection, as the countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas draws nearer.

Last November, Markle told Marie Claire that Thanksgivings at her and Prince Harry’s Montecito home are ‘always pretty low-key.’ 

‘I think you always make sure there’s room at the table for your friends who don’t have family, which is really key,’ she shared at the time.

However, Markle insisted that Archie and Lilibet are her biggest priority and that the holidays have only gotten more fun for the family as they’ve grown older.

‘We’re always making sure we have something fun to do. At first, I think as a mom with children you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet,’ she explained.

‘But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year.’

Markle’s latest As Ever newsletter comes just days after she was accused of releasing a ‘beige’ and ‘depressing’ holiday promotion for her lifestyle brand, despite previously claiming that she had to ‘tone down’ her bright style to fit in with the Royal Family.

She took to Instagram on Saturday to share a brief clip of herself assembling gifts as she continues to tout her As Ever Christmas range, which includes a $64 candle, champagne and a mulled spice kit.

In the short video, Prince Harry’s wife was seen popping a present into a gray stocking which hung from her mantlepiece, before clasping her hands together and smiling.

It was marked by similarly neutral earthy tones throughout all the interiors in the room, appearing matching the understated light green hues of the fir decor around – although carefully placed fairy lights sparkled throughout.

‘Oh, we see you!’ the caption read. ‘Not even Thanksgiving yet and you’ve already got this in the bag.’ 

Some fans however were disappointed by the glossy promotion, claiming it lacked festivity and featured only ‘bland, boring browns’, rather than the typically bright holiday period fanfare.

Writing on X, one questioned: ‘Where are the Christmas colors? Where is the festiveness? Where’s the “Merry and bright”?

‘There is not one thing that says “holiday cheer” in this clip. It’s depressing, unseasoned manila envelope drabness.’

Commenting beneath the post, several agreed with one remarking, ‘She loves those bland earthy colors of beige, browns… Nothing ever looks festive, warm, or inviting.’

‘Nothing says Christmas like olive green and beige!’ a third sarcastically remarked.

Elsewhere, others pointed out that the Duchess had previously complained that she had to mute her wardrobe’s colour palette to avoid clashing with more senior members of the Royal Family.

The claims were made in the third episode of her Netflix series, Meghan & Harry, released in 2022.

‘Most of the time I was in the UK, I rarely wore colour,’ she said. ‘To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event, but then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family.’

To respect this rumoured royal protocol, Meghan said she started dressing almost exclusively in shades of camel, beige and white.

She continued: ‘I wore a lot of muted tones but it was also so I could just blend in. I’m not trying to stand out here.

‘There was no version of me [that was] joining this family and trying not to do everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.’

Social media users pointed out that the former Suits actress, dressed in a brown silk gown, now appeared to be mimicking said style, consisting of ‘muted tones’.

Alongside promoting her latest festive line, Meghan is currently filming the upcoming movie, Close Personal Friends for Amazon MGM Studios – the Duchess’s return to acting for the first time since 2017.

The flick also stars Emily In Paris actress Lily Collins, Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, and Jack Quaid, the actor son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. 

According to recent reports, Netflix bosses have ‘noted’ the decision to try to professionally woo Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

Meghan and Harry’s Netflix deal, which ended in September, is widely considered a bust in Tinseltown, although Netflix boss Ted Sarandos is said to ‘adore’ Meghan.

There is also said to have been ‘much chatter’ at the streaming giant and beyond about Meghan’s decision to return to the screen, according to multiple sources across Hollywood.