Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still have their "Sussex Royal" website, despite making a big promise after stepping back from th...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still have their "Sussex Royal" website, despite making a big promise after stepping back from the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left The Firm in 2020 and agreed to stop using the "Sussex Royal" title "in any territory" after spring 2020. However, their royal website remains live as well as their Sussex Royal Instagram account which has racked up more than 9 million followers.
Their website, sussexroyal.com, includes a page called "Serving the Monarchy". This page hasn't been updated to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth last September.
The website does include a statement from Meghan and Harry which was made in January 2020 as they announced their plans to step back as senior members of the Royal Family. The statement said they hoped to become "financially independent" while continuing to support the monarchy.
There is no mention of Harry's father King Charles' Coronation. The Sussexes Instagram page is also still live, although the last post was made three years ago. In their last post, the couple thanked fans for their support, inspiration and "the shared commitment to the good in the world".
It is unclear who owns sussexroyal.com as it's been kept anonymous by GoDaddy. The launch of the website was said to have "blindsided" the late Queen as it explained the couple's future royal roles without her approval.
Writing in his book Finding Freedom, royal author Omid Scobie said Meghan and Harry's statement came before their plans for a "half-in-half-out model" had been approved by the Queen. A senior member of the royal household told him: "The element of surprise, the blindsiding of the Queen, for the other principals who are all very mindful of this, rightfully, it was deeply unsettling.
"The family is very private and bringing it into the public domain, when they were told not to, hurt the Queen. It was laying out what the Sussexes wanted in a statement without consulting with Her Majesty first - and she's the head of the institution."
The Queen's private secretary Edward Young was reportedly angry that the Palace had been kept in the dark about Meghan and Harry's statement. In the book, Omid claimed Harry and Meghan were forced to issue their statement after stories were leaked to the press about their desire to live in Canada.
