In an interview with Allison P. Davis for New York Magazine's The Cut, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is quoted as favouring one very particular brand of scented candle. It might not be the most headline-worthy snippet from the interview as a whole, but there's no denying the candid insight it offers into Meghan's Montecito life with Prince Harry and the curated atmosphere inside their much-talked-about mansion.
'An invisible hand has lit a Soho House-branded rose-water candle,' the interview reads, '(the founder, Nick Jones, is a friend from "long before I met Harry", she says), and that scent fills the air, mingling with the gentle tones of a flamenco-inflected guitar floating from a speaker.'
The description is visceral. We're there. We can hear the delicate guitar plucking over the speaker and smell the sweet floral notes that fill the air as the perfumed wax melts.
That candle, by the way, is a £40 find offered up by Soho Home, the interiors off-shoot of renowned private members company Soho House, the founder of which - aforementioned Nick Jones - attended Harry and Meghan's wedding back in 2018. Many reports even credit Soho House's Dean Street Townhouse location as being the place the pair chose for their very first date, they even reference the fashionable London hotspot it in the first episode of Netflix documentary Meghan & Harry, which landed this week. Perhaps there's a level of sentimentality attached to the Soho Home candles Meghan chooses to scent their home with - Soho Home's Bassett Rose Water Candle, £40.
The brand describes it as 'an ode to the English rose', inspired by Soho House's renowned Oxfordshire site, Babington House and its walled garden. And Meghan clearly has a fondness for roses. In the much-talked-of documentary she is seen picking roses in her LA home at dusk while Archie and Lili sleep.
The candle fragrance is a fresh take on floral - powdery notes need not apply - that blends the smell of newly picked rose petals with zingy lemon, bergamot, and just enough ginger and musk to lend warmth - a must when it comes to cosy-ing up a large mansion by way of a few candles.
While, unfortunately, Meghan's exact choice of candle is currently out of stock - we're almost certain that supplies will be replenished imminently - there is a whole host of luxurious rose-scented candles to buy into in the meantime. If you're keen to envelop your home with scents worthy of a Duchess, look no further than our rose-flavoured edit below:
Shop: The Best Rose-Scented Candles To Buy Now
Shop: The Best Rose Scented Candles To Buy Now
1 of 5Overose Nudesse Candle
Overose is a candle brand that celebrates the scent of rose in all its forms. Its Nudesse edition is honeyed, smooth and creamy. The brand goes so far as to say it evokes the feeling of a lazy rainy morning spent cosying up under the covers. Burn time: Up to 60 hours.
2 of 5Byredo Burning Rose Candle
Expect a toughened-up version of rose in Byredo's Burning Rose candle. It blends the typically romantic notes of rose petals with hints of leather and violet, a cocktail that gives you something deep and full-bodied that's worthy of autumnal nights in. Burn time: Up to 24 hours.
3 of 5Aery Fernweh Parisian Rose Candle
Housed in a pink clay pot with a matching lid - which you can up-cycle after use - this pure soy candle blends bergamot with rose, just like Meghan Markle's favourite Soho Home iteration. Burn time: Up to 50 hours.
4 of 5Boy Smells Rosalita Candle
We've learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to Boy Smells scents, and its Rosalita candle is no exception. The coconut and beeswax iteration blends decadent rose petal notes with saffron, leather, cassis and the warmth of amber. If you're after a sexy take on rose, look no further. Burn time: Up to 50 hours.
5 of 5Diptyque Roses Candle
A Diptyque icon if ever there was one, Roses gives you that quintessential rose scent in abundance - a romantic, light, floral scent. Burn time: Up to 60 hours.