Harry and Meghan announce transition details as they confirm end of Sussex Royal branding
Prince Harry and Meghan will not use the word royal in any of their branding once they step back as senior members of the Royal Family, a spokeswoman for the duke and duchess confirmed.
It comes after a report that Meghan had told friends there was no legal reason for her not to use the word royal.
The duke and duchess will step back from royal duties on 31 March, but there was an ongoing review of the use of the word royal in their future branding, which is limited in the UK because of trade mark law.
The couple has also shared details of their transition away from their senior royal roles in a post on Instagram, in which they spoke about having to get rid of their office in Buckingham Palace and losing 15 members of staff.
The spokeswoman said: “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.”
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Harry and Meghan had been using Sussex Royal as their branding on their website and Instagram, and it was thought they would use it as the name of their new charitable foundation.
A spokesman said earlier in the week that the use of the word royal was being considered as the pair would not be undertaking official royal duties.
Plans to trademark “SussexRoyal” have also been abandoned.
The couple announced they wanted to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January and it’s since been confirmed they will be able to do so from 1 April.
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They will retain their names of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but will no longer use their HRH titles.
In a post shared through their Instagram stories on Friday evening they wrote: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their ‘HRH’ prefix thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of spring 2020.”
The couple said they will require “effective security” to protect them and their son, but that they could not shared further details because it is classified information.
Speaking about their London staff, the post explains the team was mostly funded by The Prince of Wales and so had to be closed.
The statement said: “Over the last month and a half, the duke and duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been saddening for the duke and the duchess and their loyal staff given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team.”
Harry and Meghan have also denied they will be starting a foundation, saying they “intend to develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally”.
The couple closed their post by saying they “eagerly await the opportunity to share more with you and greatly appreciate your support”.
They will spend most of their time in North America, but have a number of duties to carry out in the UK before they begin their new life.
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Harry announced he would be at the recording of the Invictus Games song with Jon Bon Jovi in London on 28 February.
They will both be attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music on 7 February and the Commonwealth Day service on 9 March.
Meghan will mark International Women’s Day on 8 March.
A spokesman for the couple previously said much of their work will remain in the same areas they focused on during their time as working royals.
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They will keep their private patronages but Harry will be stripped of his military honours.
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.
