Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just released their final royal engagements ahead of their exit from the British Royal Family. Taking a break from their relatively quiet life on Vancouver Island in Canada, the couple will head back to the U.K. to carry out an intense schedule of royal duties.
Queen Elizabeth II has prohibited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from using "Sussex Royal" as their brand. It was deemed problematic since Prince Harry and Meghan have initiated their global trademark using the said word.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a recently developed Sussex Royal website to accompany their popular Instagram feed. They have also aimed to register Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a series of items and activities including books, clothing, stationery, and teaching materials.
On their website, they posted a remarkable statement that the Queen does not own the word 'royal' across the world. Hours after announcing they would stop using the word 'royal' as an identifier, they put a new statement on their website. The two insisted on keeping their HRH titles even though they would not actively use them.
Prince Harry and Meghan have agreed to alter their "Sussex Royal" brand name in order to abide by a Buckingham Palace directive. "While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word "Royal" overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use "Sussex Royal" or any iteration of the word "Royal" in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020."
The first sentence of the statement has drawn animosity from people.
The couple's spokeswoman added, "Therefore the trademark applications that were filed as protective measures, acting on advice from and following the same model for The Royal Foundation, have been removed."
According to the rules established on the royal family website, "Names of the Royal Family may not be registered in, or as, trademarks without the consent of The Queen or the relevant Member of the Royal Family."
Personal branding expert Deborah Ogden said that Prince Harry and Meghan's brand will remain strong sans royal and points to the pair's immense levels of fame worldwide.
She explained that dropping the word from their brand should not affect its value much. "But it's my belief that a personal brand is more than a logo, so what they would spend time building is a strong reputation and strong profile to support certain causes."
An anonymous source said that the Queen anticipates Megxit discussions to be over and done with.
She is publicly supportive of Prince Harry and Meghan's decision to step down as senior royals but generally would not dive into a discussion about it, according to the insider.
