Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have once again come under fire from royal expert Angela Levin as she claimed they have broken a promise to the late Queen Elizabeth in order to “make as much money as possible”.
On Monday the couple unveiled their new sussex.com website, dropping the word royal from the URL, yet still referring to themselves as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Under conditions agreed with the UK government when they stepped down as working royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan may still use their titles but cannot refer to themselves as HRH (His/Her Royal Highness).
They could also no longer call themselves the Sussex Royal Foundation, leading them to launch their Archewell Foundation instead for all their philanthropic work.
However, speaking to GB News Ms Levin took issue with their continued use of the Sussex title, as she believes they are capitalising on their royal connection to make money.
The royal author told host Martin Daubney: “The late Queen Elizabeth II said to them that she did not want them to use any royal titles to make money.
“They agreed to that. I suspect she thought that was a promise, and they’re not sticking to it at all. They’re using it 100 per cent so they can make as much money as possible.”
Friends of the couple have leapt to their defence, claiming they have every right to use their Sussex title as it is their name and a title they were given by the late Queen herself upon their marriage in 2018.
A source told the Mail: “Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.”
But others have urged the couple to be cautious, as any suspicion that they could be using their royal connection for commercial purposes could lead to the site being closed down.
Another insider told the publication: “They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.”
