Why Harry and Meghan's new-look Sussex website could get shut down by royal family
By Karishma Sarkari|
P?rince Harry and Meghan have launched their new Sussex website, featuring the title "The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex".
However, experts say the website could get shut down by the royal family - or at least undergo a significant redesign - after the couple used a royal coat of arms on the page.
"They are cashing in on their royal connections that they say they hate so much," royal biographer Angela Levin told The Sun.
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"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."
The coat of arms was created by the College of Arms for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to mark her marriage into the royal family and was unveiled days after the May 2018 nuptials.
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It features visual references to her Californian upbringing and time with Prince Harry living in Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace estate.?
"The blue background of the shield represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of The Duchess's home state. The three quills represent communication and the power of words," a statement from Kensington Palace at the time said.
"Beneath the shield on the grass sits a collection of golden poppies, California's state flower, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace."
The duchess was also "assigned" a Coronet, they said.?
"It is the Coronet laid down by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the Heir Apparent. It is composed of two crosses patจฆe, four fleurs-de-lys and two strawberry leaves," the statement said.
"The arms of a married woman are shown with those of her husband and the technical term is that they are impaled, meaning placed side by side in the same shield.?"
While there is no reference to Prince Harry's family in their bios on the new site, another insider warned the couple could also face "be shut down" if they're seen to be commercialising off their royal ?titles.?
However, a source reportedly close to Harry and Meghan fired back at accusations, saying the couple aren't doing anything wrong.
?"Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," they said, according to Daily Mail.
"That is a fact. It is their surname and family name."
The new online platform for the couple is a re-direct from their former Archewell site and also links to their former Sussex Royal website.
The Sussex Royal website was one they launched at the time of announcing their decision to step back as senior working members of the royal family in January 2020, before swiftly closing it down again, along with their social media.
When they formed an agreement with Queen Elizabeth and then-Prince Charles to move to the US to find their own financial freedom, they agreed to not use the word "royal" in any future branding or their non-profit work.
This was both so they weren't seen to be cashing in on their royal connections but also due to a UK government rule.?
"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," Harry and Meghan's spokesperson said at the time.
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"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use 'SussexRoyal' in any territory post-spring 2020."
When fans now visit that old website, a disclaimer appears to serve as a reminder that the page has not been updated since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the Firm for their new life in the US.?
There are also links out to their Archewell production company and foundation, so undoubtably the new site appears to combine their past, present and future endeavours in one neat place.
