Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Confirm They'll Drop 'Royal' From Branding - But Say They Could Use It If They Wanted!

So much for that!

Despite apparently initially objecting to Queen Elizabeth not wanting them to use the term “royal” moving forward, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have thought better of things, and they’re moving forward without involving that word in their branding and future projects.

The couple made the announcement of sorts on Saturday, in an updated addendum on their brand spankin’ new website. In it, they low-key call out the Queen, acknowledging she doesn’t have the authority to strip them of their right to say they are royals. And yet, they still eventually acquiesce, backing down from their initial desire to brand themselves as such with a new path forward.

Writing in an addendum to their spring 2020 transition plans on their official website, the couple stated (below):

“The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to. While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organization, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal’, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organization will not utilize the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal.’”

It’s a pretty similar statement — on their own personal website, no less — to the one that came out from the royal family just days ago. Interesting! And very coordinated, of course!

And continued on from there!

meghan markle money prince harry — All that money that could’ve been from branding and trademarks, now just flying away in the wind… / (c) WENN

In the next paragraph, the couple noted the Monarchy does not have jurisdiction over the word ‘royal’ overseas, though they still didn’t intend to use it just to keep the transition smooth:

“For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed. 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.”

Well then! Obviously, it’s not like most people in the world won’t know these two came from the British royal family, so their personal brands should do well enough in time. It does hurt the couple in the short-run, though, after they apparently trademarked quite a few things in the ‘royal’ and ‘Sussex Royal’ categories.

For those interested, there are specific rules around all this, as you can see (below):

For those interested in the rules around this they can be found here. Key section below https://t.co/MNimGdLbhK https://t.co/032Rm5yOho pic.twitter.com/jSbQFnHy4s

— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) February 21, 2020

Wow!

And one more note: in a quick passage in the middle of their transition literature, right above their detailed discussion of the use of the word ‘Royal’ is this little tidbit about still requiring security protection:

“It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son. This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years. No further details can be shared as this is classified information for safety reasons.”

Hmmm… so is this taxpayer-funded police protection, or what?! Privately funded security???

Always very interesting, the business chess match that gets waged behind the scenes… seems like even the royal family isn’t immune to some of this drama, ya know?!

What do U think, Perezcious readers; should Harry and Meghan have been allowed to use (and chosen to use) the words ‘Royal’ and ‘Sussex Royal’ in their future business endeavors? Or was this the right move to make for the sake of the royal family??