Prince Harry and Meghan will stop using their ‘SussexRoyal’ brand after the spring, a spokeswoman has confirmed.
The move comes after Queen Elizabeth and other senior officials ruled they should no longer be using the term ‘royal’ for merchandising. It also comes after they announced their intention to quit senior Royal duties, and their eventual departure to Canada where they have made their new home.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex built a website based on the title which started from their Instagram page. They had also registered Sussex Royal as a trademark internationally on items including clothing, stationery, books and teaching materials.
According to the report by Metro.co.uk, a spokeswoman for the couple who confirmed the latest development, said:
‘While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK Government rules surrounding the 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. ‘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.
Last month the couple announced plans to step down as senior members and strive for financial independence. A summit of senior royals was convened by the Queen at Sandringham to discuss the issue, with Harry sitting down for talks with his grandmother, father the Prince of Wales and brother the Duke of Cambridge.
It was later announced they would split their time between Canada and the UK, with the majority spent in North America, and no longer be known as HRH.
But sources have stressed they ‘will be in the United Kingdom regularly’ and retain the same charitable goals supporting causes from the Commonwealth to mental health.
The duke and duchess will attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, likely to be their last official appearance as working members of the monarchy, with the Queen and other senior royals.
The event is normally attended by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and is a major engagement in the Queen’s calendar.
Harry and Meghan set up the website of sussexroyal.com which was registered in March 2019 and detailed the couple’s plans for their roles in the monarchy and relationship with the media.
The @SussexRoyal Instagram account started in April 2019, has since amassed 11.2 million followers.