ROYAL FAMILY NEWSMeghan Markle Faces Backlash for Promoting 'Depressing' Christmas Decorations: 'Where's the Merry and Bright?'
Meghan Markle faces backlash after debuting her muted Christmas decor in a new As Ever video.
Nov. 17 2025, Published 10:22 a.m. ET
Meghan Markle is catching heat again.
On Saturday, November 15, her lifestyle brand As Ever posted an Instagram video, showing the Duchess of Sussex, 44, happily decorating for the holidays.
Meghan looked completely at ease, wearing a shimmering brown satin outfit while hanging a beige and brown stocking in a room filled with the same warm, neutral tones. She also wore her signature clean bun, matching the rest of the understated setup.
“Oh, we see you! Not even Thanksgiving yet and you’ve already got this in the bag,” the As Ever Instagram account teased in the caption.
Meghan Markle showed off her Christmas decorations in a new Instagram video.
As Ever rolled out its 2025 holiday collection back on October 25, promising pieces “thoughtfully curated to elevate every occasion.”
But the moment Meghan’s video hit social media, critics started calling out the muted décor — especially now that bold, nostalgic, early-2000s Christmas decorations are trending again.
Many viewers felt the setup looked more like a beige mood board than a festive display.
One person slammed the look on X, writing, “Where are the Christmas colors? Where is the festiveness? Where’s the ‘Merry and bright?’ This is bland, beige, boring browns. There is not one thing that says ‘holiday cheer’ in this clip. It’s depressing, unseasoned manila envelope drabness.”
Another user joked, “#MeghanMarkle doesn't know #RalphLaurenChristmas,” referring to the classic red, green, blue and plaid holiday palette.
Others chimed in with questions about why the décor felt so toned down.
“Are there no young children in the house? I went crazy as a young mom reliving my childhood through the kids, I decorated everything and Santa was coming! Is Markle not inspired by anyone, anything?” one person asked.
Fans quickly criticized the neutral, muted color palette Meghan Markle used.
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Another commenter shared their own approach: “I’ve always done a traditional style Christmas. Tree with white lights, red poinsettia bows, glass and metallic ornaments and tinsel.”
One viewer summed up the overall reaction: “I think she's going high end and sleek, but it looks bland and boring.”
The conversation even brought up Meghan’s past comments about wearing neutral colors during her time with the royal family.
She previously explained in the third episode of the 2022 Netflix series Meghan & Harry that she often avoided bright colors to respect royal protocol.
Meghan Markle previously said she wore neutrals to avoid clashing with senior royals.
“Most of the time I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color,” she said. “To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same color 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.”
Many people wished the décor looked more festive and traditional.
She added that dressing in camel, beige and white was her way of blending in, not standing out.
“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,” she said. “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.”
