Meghan Markle’s Valentine’s Day celebrations included red balloons, jam, and all things sweet. On Wednesday, February 4, the Duchess of Sussex posted a picture on Instagram to promote “Limited Edition Sweetheart Bundle.”
For the occasion, Meghan Markle was dressed in a sleek black gown and red footwear and held a few balloons in her hand. However, the post drew some flak from netizens. Meghan Markle was trolled for the red balloons she posed with, according to an Express report.
The caption accompanying the post read, “A sweet surprise! Shop the Limited Edition Sweetheart Bundle featuring our Signature As ever x @compartes Chocolate Collection paired with our Raspberry and Strawberry Spreads in Keepsake Packaging — just in time for Valentine’s Day. A gift for yourself, or the one you love.”
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The photos of Meghan Markle posing with balloons drew comparisons to popular character Pennywise, the killer clown from Stephen King’s famous novel It, which was also later adapted into a movie.
Quoting a comment on the post, the Express report wrote, “What is Meghan trying to tell us?” The publication quoted another user as saying, “OK. She actually looks like Pennywise without makeup.” Some other comments on the post read, “Meghan is more terrifying than the clown,” and “Scary!” Another section of the Internet liked the post. An Instagram user called the image “Simple Elegance.” Some lauded her sartorial pick for the shoot.
#MeghanMarkle is REALLY hyping this $185 bundle for Valentines Day. What an awkward picture-balloons tied to jam? It looks heavy as hell but hiding her face behind the balloons is not a bad idea.I feel like it’s a ripoff of something, I can’t put my finger on it.… pic.twitter.com/GRZPMsiin6
— Princess CarParkle 👑 (@unreMARKLEble) February 5, 2026
The wider context is that As Ever is not a one-off whim. This is the brand’s third consecutive Valentine’s Day launch, following earlier drops including jars, limited-edition chocolates, and a Valentine’s “Edit” bundle. In other words, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s post-royal era isn’t just philanthropy and documentary work; it’s product, packaging, and a tight calendar of seasonal releases.
The chocolate collaboration itself is real and widely covered outside the tabloid ecosystem. People magazine reported that As Ever’s Valentine’s line includes a partnership with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés, anchored by a “Signature Chocolate Collection” that retails for $62 and incorporates As Ever spreads into handcrafted bars.
Always waving to her invisible friends 🤣#MeghanMarkle #MeghanMarkleIsAConArtist #MeghanIsTheProblem #MeghanMarkleExposed pic.twitter.com/VjPW6iSf11
— Think Beautiful (@ThinkBeautiful_) October 29, 2025
Whatever you think of the aesthetics, it’s not amateur hour in terms of strategy: high-margin gifting, limited-edition scarcity, and the familiar lifestyle-brand pitch of indulgence as self-care.
Which is why the Pennywise mockery stings, at least reputationally. It takes an aspirational image—dark dress, red accents, a “sweet surprise”—and flips it into a meme that suggests creepiness rather than charm. That’s the tightrope for any celebrity commerce: you’re not merely selling jam or chocolate; you’re selling taste, mood, and trust. And the internet’s favorite sport is proving you don’t deserve any of it.
If Meghan Markle’s goal was to keep attention on a Valentine’s bundle, she certainly achieved that. The problem is the sort of attention she got—because red balloons, once they belong to Pennywise, don’t easily return to the gift shop.
