Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared a statement on their website following news the Queen is forcing them to drop the Sussex Royal brand.
The couple has announced they will stop using the word “royal” in their branding from Spring when they will officially break away from the Royal Family.
The statement came across as pretty sassy at one point, with the couple suggesting the government and the Queen herself do not own the word “royal” internationally, however, they would still stop using the word.
It read, “While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.”
It also seemed as though Prince Harry and Meghan were suggesting the palace was treating them differently to other members of the Royal Family.
“While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place.
“Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.”
It was also announced that they will keep their HRH titles despite the fact they will not “actively use” them.
The statement reads, “As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their ‘HRH’ prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020.”
It also included a line about how Harry is still sixth in line to the throne and will keep his military rank. It also said the couple is entitled to public protection.
Daily Mail says it’s understood that Harry and Meghan being told they’re unable to use the “Sussex Royal” brand name is a significant blow to the couple, who have spent thousands of pounds building the brand.
The Queen has reportedly even brought in top lawyers to ensure the band is enforced and a number of trademark applications have since been removed according to their statement.
The publication also reports that Meghan has complained to her inner circle about the name with an insider saying the name “shouldn’t even be an issue in the first place and it’s not like they want to be in the business of selling T-shirts and pencils”.
They added, “Meghan said she’s done with the drama and has no room in her life for naysayers, and the same goes for Harry.”
“Meghan said the global projects they are working on speak for themselves and they chose that name to protect the royal name, not profit off of it.”
The source continued, “Meghan has told her inner circle that their success is inevitable with or without their current brand name. She said regardless of the name, Harry and Archie have royal blood and no one can take that away. And that as a family, they will always be considered royalty.”
It feels like there’s still a lot of work left to do to to make this transition work…