Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surprised the world this week when they released their new-look website sussex.com, with one significant change from their old site.
The couple’s original royal webpage used to be sussexroyal.com, leaving fans to speculate as to why they have now dropped the word royal from their URL.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit as working royals in 2020, it was stipulated by the UK government that while they could still be known by their titles, they could no longer be known as the Sussex Royal Foundation.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes said at the time: “While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal,’ it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation, when it is announced this Spring, will not be named Sussex Royal Foundation.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘SussexRoyal’ in any territory post Spring 2020.”
According to UK law using royal names or royal residences in conjunction with selling a product is illegal if it suggests that a member of the Royal Family or one of their properties is connected to or supplying the product.
It is unclear exactly why Harry and Meghan have waited nearly four years to drop the word royal, but if want to relaunch themselves as a commercial entity they may be prohibited from using it as it implies a link to the Firm.
But when they stepped down as working royals they ceased to use their original sussexroyal webpage and instead launched a new website, Archewell. This webpage no longer exists and instead refers users to their new site, sussex.com.
While the new site mentions their work with the Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions, it turns the spotlight more heavily on the Duke and Duchess themselves.
On Harry’s page he is referred to as a “humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner” while Meghan is described as a “a feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity”.
The site makes little mention of their children, other than to say they live in California with their parents, and also does not talk about their links to the Royal Family.
A link to the previous Sussex Royal website is also available, although it clarifies that the information on the royal website is about projects and endeavours they carried out while they were still working royals.
The Duke and Duchess also faced backlash from royal commentator Angela Levin about their use of the royal crest on their new website.
She told The Sun: “They are cashing in on their royal connections that they say they hate so much. Queen Elizabeth II would be furious because they promised they wouldn’t do that.
“They should be stopped from using a title that they spent years insulting. They left the Royal Family because they didn’t want anything to do with it but now realise they can use Sussex rather than Archewell.”
