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After announcing their decision to "step down as senior members of the royal family", the queen made an announcement of her own when she decided Harry and Meghan would no longer be receiving sovereign funds and would have to give up their HRH titles.
For Harry, this also meant losing all his military accolades and honours – stepping back from all royal duties, also meant stepping back from any and all official military appointments.
Since the announcement was made on 18 January, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been keeping a low profile, living in Canada – apart from their secret visits to Miami and California where they're thought to be developing their brand, independent of the royal family. But now, a royal source says Harry and Meghan may not necessarily be able to use the "Sussex royal" brand, let alone evolve and expand it.
Royal correspondent, Rebecca English first reported the news, but ITV News followed up. According to royal editor, Chris Ship, neither Buckingham Palace nor Harry and Meghan chose to comment on the news, but a royal source confirmed to People, "As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word 'royal', in this context, needed to be reviewed. Discussions are still ongoing."
"As part of the process to transition the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into their new chapter, planning has been well underway around the launch of their new nonprofit organisation. Details will be shared in due course," the source continued.
It seems it's more the "royal" than the "Sussex" part of their name, which they recently tried to register as a worldwide trademark, hoping to apply it to clothing and merchandise.
Harry and Meghan already started using the domain "sussexroyal.com" for their new website, and have been using "@sussexroyal" on Instagram since their split from William and Kate last year.
If after these "ongoing discussions" it's decided Harry and Meghan must renounce their "royal" title as well, Harry and Meghan will have to completely rebrand their new entity going forward.
Final discussions are set to take place when Harry returns to the UK in March, upon the queen's request. The occasion, ironically, is Commonwealth Day – an annual royal family affair.
