Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Must Stop Using 'Sussex Royal' As Brand Name

By Emily Lee

February 19, 2020

The Duke & Duchess Of Sussex Visit South Africa

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are forging a new path for themselves outside the Royal Family. Though they planned to continue their charitable works under the band new Sussex Royal, which is also their social media handle, Queen Elizabeth has reportedly decided Harry and Meghan can't brand themselves as royals going forward.

While the Daily Mail reports Her Majesty has outright "banned" the Sussexes' from using the word "royal" as part of their branding, a source downplayed the drama to People. “As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word ‘royal’, in this context needed to be reviewed. Discussions are still ongoing,” the source explained.

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

“As part of the process to transition the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into their new chapter, planning has been well underway around the launch of their new nonprofit organization," the source continued. "Details will be shared in due course." Despite the source claiming discussions are ongoing, it seems likely that Harry and Meghan will forgo using the word "royal" in the future, which would mean they have to change the name of their upcoming foundation and their social media handles.

This will be a major setback for Harry and Meghan. They've already set up a website under the brand name Sussex Royal and filed numerous trademarks for the planned launch of their foundation. "In many ways this is inevitable given their decision to step down, but it must surely come as a blow to the couple as they have invested everything into the Sussex Royal brand. The Queen would have had little choice, however," a source revealed to Daily Mail. "The Sussexes' original plan – of being half-in, half-out working royals – was never going to work. Obviously, as the Queen has made clear, they are still much-loved members of her family. "

Nobody from The Palace or Harry and Meghan's camp have made a statement about the reported Sussex Royal rebrand, however, they'll have to reveal their new foundation name soon enough.

Photo: Getty