Another day, another royal blow: Queen Elizabeth is signaling that she may not allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to continue to use "royal" in their official branding. The pair have made the moniker "Sussex Royal" famous and currently use it for their Instagram account and their official website.
In fact, their announcement that they were stepping back from royal duties pointed followers from Instagram to the Sussex Royal site itself, which indicates the two definitely intend to make a play for the name. However, it seems the Queen may have other ideas.
A royal insider has told People that, as usual, "royal" context is everything. It seems that use of the term may not go hand-in-hand with Harry and Meghan's other stated goals.
"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 same source also said the two are planning to launch a new nonprofit organization, and it appears that they want to keep the name as part of that launch.
"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. Details will be shared in due course."
Queen Elizabeth and other "senior officials" appear to have come to a consensus about whether or not it's appropriate for the two to keep using the word "royal" at all.
The source says the entire group "are believed to have agreed it is no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word ‘royal’ in their ‘branding.'"
Prince Harry and Meghan infamously surprised several with their surprise announcement in January 2020. "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."
They also added, "It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment."
Harry and Meghan also indicated on their site that the existence of the planned "charitable organization" is very real. Insiders speculate that the details will be announced later this year, likely after the family of three returns to the UK to mark Commonwealth Day on March 9.
The Queen has also released her own statements on the split. "Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family."
Since their decision was publicized, Harry and Meghan have been spotted in Vancouver, Canada, and are believed to be living on Vancouver Island with their dogs and their son, Archie. A friend of the couple recently told People that, "They are besotted and very sweet with each other. Archie is the priority. It’s very much still about taking care of him and putting the family first."
The same friend also echoed the common belief that the move to Canada was one that the pair made for their family and that all three are happy. "He’s a happy kid — he loves to laugh. Archie and Harry have such a good time together. And Meghan is a great mom. She’s very much about tending to him. They are trying to live their life as regular parents."
Many believe that Harry and Meghan stayed on Vancouver Island over their six-week holiday break and that it's likely they bought their home during the stay. Music producer David Foster helped set up the family with their vacation stay.
"I felt honored that I was able to help Meghan there, because I’m a Canadian and we’re a commonwealth country, we’re the Crown’s. It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment."
David also added, "I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off. The owner has allowed this to happen through me, and I was happy to facilitate. I don’t know what their next plans are, but I know that it was reinvigorating for them to spend some downtime. This is a great testament to my hometown of Victoria that they were able to go under the radar for so long."
All in all, it sounds like so far, the move was exactly what the two needed. A friend of Meghan's told People that "It was just this tremendous shift when Meghan returned to Canada. You could tell that she felt so much less stressed."
The friend also shared, "They are enjoying living a quiet life. They go for long walks, they do yoga, and Meghan cooks. They are real homebodies who love to chill out with Archie and the dogs."
As for their social media branding, the two are only occasionally posting updates to Instagram, and those "updates" are typically about work they conducted while living as active senior members of the royal family in 2019. It's likely that they can't really share much of what they are planning until after their last official appearance during Commonwealth Day.
