Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issue "royal" statement hinting at widening family rift
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued their first official statement since Queen Elizabeth's decision to pull the couple's ability to use the "royal" brand. They questioned the Crown's jurisdiction in what appears to be a complicated split from the U.K.'s royal family.
In a statement on their website, Harry and Meghan said, "While there is not any jurisdiction by the monarchy over the use of the word 'royal' overseas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use any iteration of the word 'royal' in any territory."
They had originally planned to use "Sussex Royal" as the brand for their charitable foundations and business ventures, according to CBS News' Charlie D'Agata.
"It was almost a little bit petulant," said Roya Nikkhah, royal correspondent for The Sunday Times. She interpreted the couple's words as saying "We're doing this. We don't have to do this but we're doing this."
The Duke of Sussex is back in the UK, in Edinburgh today where he is attending panel meetings for his eco-tourism initiative #Travalyst Over the next couple of weeks, he and the Duchess of Sussex will undertake their final engagements here as working members of the royal family pic.twitter.com/9lEnljoP5M
— Roya Nikkhah (@RoyaNikkhah) February 26, 2020
Nikkhah predicted the branding decision would do little to impact their A-List celebrity earning power, but likely contributes to the widening rift within the family itself.
Prince Harry is back in the United Kingdom for his final series of engagements as a senior royal. At an event promoting sustainable travel in Edinburgh, Scotland, he asked to be referred to as just "Harry." Markle's first official U.K. appearance since the family's split is expected to be March 5.