Queen strips Meghan & Harry of royal title
Time for a rebrand, chaps
Harry and Meghan’s postroyal plans took a bit of a hit last week, after the Queen reportedly banned the couple from using “Sussex Royal” as their brand name. According to insiders, the decision followed lengthy and complex talks over the couple’s title, following their announcement that they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family. Apparently, the Queen decided that their continued use of the name under such circumstances would be “untenable”.
It’s a big blow for the formerly royal couple, who have invested a lot of time and money into establishing their brand, setting up a Sussexroyal.com website to match their Instagram account. They also set up their new charitable organisation under the name Sussex Royal, and applied to register it as a trademark for goods including books, stationery and clothing. While a source has said “discussions are still ongoing”, the Queen and senior officials reportedly believe it would be impossible for them to use the term “royal” in a commercial context, now that they are working to become “financially independent”.
In January, a statement said that, moving forwards, “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles.” But, apparently, even though they’re no longer working royals, the titles haven’t been formally removed. Insiders say the Queen did this to leave the door open, while others tell us they expect the titles to be dropped in the spring. Intriguing. ■