Harry and Meghan Launch New Website with Royal Titles and Crest: Philanthropy or Commercialization?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle launched their new website last night with the controversial name Sussex.com, featuring a Sussex title and a prominent image of the royal coat of arms. Their previous website, Archewell, has moved to Sussex.com, which showcases their biographies and summarises their latest work, the Daily Mail reports.
The site includes the latest news about the couple, biographies of Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, as well as links to their organisation, the Archewell Foundation, and Archewell Productions. In the couple's biographies, Harry is described as a "humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmentalist", while Meghan is described as a "feminist and advocate for human rights and gender equality".
The homepage features a photo of Prince Harry and Meghan at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games 2023 in Germany in September. This photo of the couple smiling and clapping is a favourite for them, as they also chose it as the image for their holiday card last year.
Under their coat of arms on their homepage, it reads: "The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex".
According to the Daily Mail, it is the use of the title of Sussex and the royal coats of arms for commercial purposes that is of concern. This may lead to objections from Buckingham Palace and the closure of the website.
"They will have serious problems with the use of Sussex. It's a royal title, and if there's a hint of commerciality in it, it will be shut down. It's just stunning, they don't see how ridiculous it is," a royal family official familiar with the events told the British newspaper.
However, the couple defend themselves by saying that they are simply using their surname. "Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. This is a fact. It's their surname," the Daily Mail quoted a person close to the couple as saying.
After her engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan closed her social media profiles (including her Instagram page with 3 million followers) and lifestyle blog The Tig.
As The Gaze previously reported, Harry recently made a surprise 24-hour visit to the UK to see King Charles after being diagnosed with cancer.
After Meghan and Harry got married in May 2018, news of their royal work appeared on the @KensingtonRoyal accounts alongside news of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The following year, the couple launched a separate Instagram page, @SussexRoyal, as part of a plan to create a separate office from William and Kate.
The @SussexRoyal Instagram account stopped being updated after Harry and Meghan stepped down from their senior royal positions in 2020.