Queen Elizabeth II's decision to ban Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over the use of the word royal in their branding turns to be a big issue. What makes it more controversial is the Sussexes' alleged subtle dig at Her Majesty, insisting the monarch doesn't own the said term. But apart from the Queen, it seems the royal couple also took a jab at Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex accepted Her Royal Highness' decision not to use the word royal in their brand. Hence, they will let go of the name Sussex Royal.
Their planned non-profit organization will not bear the said name due to the "specific U.K. government rules" that surround the use of the term. "It has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organization will not utilize the name 'Sussex Royal' or any other iteration of 'Royal,'" they said in their lengthy announcement on their official website.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle canceled their trademark plans but made a reference to Prince William and Meghan Markle, who also trademarked their own charitable foundation a few years back. "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," they added.
According to Express, Kate Middleton applied to trademark fashion goods under her name that included clothing and headwear in 2013. At the time, a palace spokesperson told The Telegraph that as part of the process, they had to choose any categories under which name they might use in the future. This move would also protect the foundation against other people who might plan to use the moniker in illegal ways.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's The Royal Foundation once included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle until they decided to cut ties and build their own - the Sussex Royal. However, after banning them from using the name, they now decided not to start a foundation but to develop a new way to impose change and complement other foundations' efforts across the globe. They plan to set-up a non-profit entity instead that will not bear the name royal in it.
Rumors then swirled that Meghan Markle's close friend, Jessica Mulroney, registered a website named "sussexglobalcharities.com" under her charitable organization, the Shoebox Project. But, she quickly shut down this claim in a tweet.
She explained that the Shoebox Project Foundation has no ties or affiliations with her charity, The Shoebox Project, and is owned by a man named Mr Roy from North Carolina. The subject's official account, on the other hand, quoted Mulroney's statement and confirmed everything she said was true.
