Harry and Meghan’s Sussex Website Rebrand Hasn’t Gone ‘Down Well’ at Buckingham Palace — Report
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Sussex website rebrand is here. In perhaps an unsurprising turn of events, Buckingham Palace isn’t reportedly happy about it. The new look of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s website is said not to have gone over “well” at the palace. Ahead, more on Harry and Meghan’s Sussex website rebrand and why the palace isn’t likely to take “action.”
Harry and Meghan’s Feb. 12 Sussex website rebrand
On Feb. 12, 2024, Harry and Meghan quietly launched their Sussex website rebrand. Formerly archewell.com, their new site name is sussex.com.
The change wasn’t in name only. The pair also debuted a fresh look for their online presence, most notably with the prominent use of their Sussex coat of arms and royal titles.
Upon visiting the site, the main page reads: “The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
Meanwhile, the “About” page outlines how their “shaping the future through business and philanthropy” by way of “The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.”
The website also includes biographies of both Harry and Meghan. They’re described as a “humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner” and a “feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity,” respectively.
The Palace isn’t likely to engage in yet ‘another fight’ with Harry and Meghan over the Sussex website rebrand
Buckingham Palace is, it seems, not thrilled with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s website rebrand. In the words of a palace insider, “This won’t go down well at all” (via Daily Mail).
As for the possibility of the palace retaliating, the insider shared it’s unlikely, at least for the time being, as the health of Harry’s father, King Charles III, is the main priority.
“Buckingham Palace may have its hands tied in taking action,” they told the outlet. “The king has other things he needs to focus on at the moment. And the last thing His Majesty needs is another fight with his son.”
King Charles, 75, announced his cancer diagnosis in February 2024 after undergoing a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate. The specific type hasn’t been revealed.
The palace went public with the king’s diagnosis 10 days after he left the hospital for the procedure. Now, he’s undergoing treatment and taking a break from public-facing duties.
Coat of arms on Sussex.com dubbed a workaround
According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, Harry and Meghan’s use of the Sussex coat of arms in their website rebrand is simply a “loophole.” That way, he told The Sun, they can get around Queen Elizabeth II’s ban on their “SussexRoyal” brand after the pair relocated stateside.
“They have every right to use the coat of arms,” Fitzwilliams said. “But this involves using loopholes to effectively bring back SussexRoyal and exploit their royal status. They have caused the family tremendous amounts of damage.”
“The only way they made money was by using their royal links on their Netflix docuseries [Harry & Meghan] and Harry’s book Spare. Since Charles was diagnosed with cancer, they cannot attack the royal family.”
“But if this is the best they can do, who’s giving them advice?” he asked, concluding that “it’s rather boring” and “quite puzzling.”
