Meghan’s Sussex Squad fans ‘terrorise’ British priests and hound one off social media in row over advent calendar

Meghan Markle’s fans have ‘terrorised’ a group of British clergymen after they criticised her new £112 ($148) advent calendar and suggested she may have missed the true meaning of Christmas.

The Duchess of Sussex unveiled the gourmet chocolate calendar in an online advert over the weekend while wearing a reported £75,000 ($100,000) worth of clothing and jewellery. 

One British vicar who politely criticised the product has been forced to lock down his X account after being branded a ‘demon’ and a ‘disgrace to the cloth’ by supporters – known colloquially as the Sussex Squad – the Daily Mail can reveal.

The row began when Anglican priest and London university chaplain Reverend Daniel French suggested that people could instead buy a £6 Christian advent calendar that is almost 20 times cheaper and contains Fairtrade chocolate.

The alternative he recommended also raises money for a leprosy charity and comes with a ‘little booklet on the meaning of Christmas’, he told his followers.

Sharing an image of Meghan alongside her As Ever product, Rev French wrote: ‘For £5.99 you can pre-order a Christian Advent Calendar with Fairtrade chocolate from the Meaningful Chocolate Company. A donation is made to The Leprosy Mission.’

It also comes with a 24-page Christmas story and activity booklet celebrating the birth of Christ.

But Rev French’s post sparked a backlash from members of the Sussex Squad, who branded him ‘satan spawn’ and ‘evil’, while claiming he had an ‘ugly heart for a so-called Christian’.

His Protestant colleague Father Chris Phillips whose parish is in Benhilton, south-west London, backed the priest on X prompting a fresh wave of angry responses, to which he replied that he had ‘encountered the Sussex Squad on here’, adding: ‘Wow.’

His defenders have said he has been ‘terrorised’ by ‘deranged trolls’ ever since, forcing him to lock down his account. 

Trolls claimed he was a ‘coward’ for doing so. 

After 24 hours of online abuse, including threats and defamatory suggestions about his character, he was forced to lock his account and blocked a number of pro-Meghan supporters.

One wrote: ‘Why are you joining in and trolling a woman for selling an advent calendar? You must be a shining example of Christianity to your parishioners.’

Another said: ‘Both the Reverend Daniel French and Father Chris Phillips are sorry excuses for Christianity.’

A third added: ‘What an evil way of trying to garner Christmas support. God sees you.’

Reacting to his decision to block critics and lock his account, another Meghan fan said: ‘These demons in church’s clothing can’t take half of the hate/bigotry they orchestrate toward Duchess Meghan. Fake Rev. Father Chris Phillips is a p***ya*sb***h. 

‘They can dish it but can’t take it, what does he do? Blocks and scamper away like the coward he is’.

Rev French did one respond to one critic.

They said: ‘Undoubtedly Rev you’re not her target audience. Nah I’ll stick with chocolate I’m familiar with. Comparte chocolate is it. Duchess Meghan products never fail me yet’.

He replied: ‘Enjoy.’ 

Both priests have been asked to comment.

Meghan Markle, who went to a Catholic school in LA, was baptised into the Church of England and confirmed by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, before she married Prince Harry.

The ceremony in the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace in 2018 was kept secret from all but the most senior royals.

However, a row broke out when in their bombshell interview with Oprah in 2021, the Duchess of Sussex, claimed Archbishop Welby secretly married her and Harry in the week before their wedding.

She told Oprah: ‘Three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that but we called the Archbishop and we just said, “This thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us”.

‘So the vows we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.’

In the wake of the interview many viewers pointed out that the allegation would have been damning for Welby, who would have committed a crime by signing the wedding certificate knowing it was false.

The row forced Welby to issue a statement rubbishing the claims.

He said: ‘I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the duke and duchess before the wedding.

‘The legal wedding was on the Saturday. I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false.’

Meghan unveiled her lifestyle brand As Ever’s first advent calendar in collaboration with LA-based gourmet chocolate company Compartes last week.

The £112 box of chocolate treats is her first major product since she, Harry and their two children moved back to the UK. 

The calendar – ‘inspired by her Montecito home and garden’ – features a festive illustration of the £11million mansion she and Prince Harry called home for six years.

A press release declared ‘every detail was considered with care, including countdown numbers hand-painted in Meghan’s own penmanship using edible gold lustre.’

The ‘limited-edition’ product includes 24 handcrafted chocolates and flavours include strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and orange marmalade, plus what is described as a ‘special chocolate finished with Meghan’s own flower sprinkles’.

Compartés’s dark chocolate ganache truffle also features in the calendar, with Meghan’s writing said to turn ‘each day’s reveal into a small, personal moment’.

The product is available to pre-order in the US on As Ever’s website, with delivery from early November.

Meghan’s business described this as the ‘latest chapter in an ongoing collaboration between the two brands’, after the $12 (£9) As Ever x Compartés chocolate bars.

As Ever explained that the box’s design was ‘inspired by Meghan’s Montecito home and garden’, and she worked on it with Compartés creative director Jonathan Grahm.

The product is ‘made to be enjoyed through December and treasured long after’ and ‘brings together the artistry of Compartés and the warmth that defines As Ever’.

Compartés said it was also selling three other cheaper but ‘ultra-giftable advent calendars’ at $120 (£91) each, including ‘Enchanted Castle’, ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Winter Forest’.

Meghan also included early prints of the box’s artwork and footage of her beloved black labrador Pula carrying an As Ever plushie toy in her mouth while the duchess lovingly stroked her head.

She has continued promoting As Ever, which was launched in February last year, on Instagram since returning to the UK in August with the couple’s children Prince Archie, seven, and five-year-old Princess Lilibet.

Ahead of launching the advent calendar, As Ever shared Meghan’s top hosting tips, which include having ‘as much prepped as possible before guests arrive’.

Meghan also advised saving one ‘simple task for the end’.

In an Instagram post labelled ‘Meghan’s Hosting Notes’, her As Ever firm suggested it should be: ‘Something you can finish in the kitchen while everyone settles in.’

It added: ‘A little preparation goes a long way toward making hosting feel effortless.’

The advice was accompanied by a picture of Meghan tying a white apron around her waist.

The duchess’s Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which offered recommendations for hosting, cooking and crafting, was panned by critics when it was launched alongside As Ever, which sells jam and flower sprinkles, in 2025.

Harry and Meghan, who returned to live in the UK just over a month ago, are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security.

They pulled Archie and Lili out of their first-choice British school in September after just two days when heavy traffic in the area meant their private security team struggled to stay in a convoy during the school run.

The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial reasons but rumours remain rife as to why they unexpectedly relocated to the UK from California.

Speculation ranges from the couple wanting their children to develop a closer relationship with their grandfather King Charles, Meghan seeking a return to acting and the Sussexes wanting to increase their profile.

In the run-up to their return, Charles was said to be glad to be able to spend more time with the family but remained adamant they would not be working royals, and there was no half-in, half-out option.

Within two weeks of arriving, there was reported pushback from Harry and Meghan after a letter, authorised by the King, was circulated by the Lord Chamberlain to senior stakeholders in the Government and military reiterating the couple were ‘private citizens’ and setting out guidance on how they should be treated.

The duke and duchess were said to be ‘surprised’ by the formal letter and the couple, who are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, were reported to prefer the term ‘public figures’ instead.

In As Ever promotional photos Meghan was head-to-toe in haute couture and wore three new and hugely expensive jewellery pieces.

As well as buying her advent calendar, she has also offered fans the chance to buy her entire £75,000 ($100,000) look.

One of the standout additions was a glittering yellow-gold tennis necklace by Jennifer Meyer worth $61,250 – roughly £46,000.

Admirers of Meghan’s style can buy the clothing and jewellery she wore while looking at her Advent calendar in an online advert.

Meghan’s look is being featured on her OneOff fashion page, through which she earns a percentage of sales.

She is believed to receive a share of OneOff’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 to 25 per cent per item sold. Meghan is also an investor in the AI-powered fashion business.

However, the marketing strategy backfired earlier this year when the outfit she wore while hugging survivors of the Bondi Beach terror attack, in which 15 people were killed, was also promoted via her OneOff page.