Prince Harry and Meghan have adopted the Sussex title as the surname for their children as they ‘unite’ their family, it was reported last night.
Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, have been known as Archie Sussex and Lilibet Sussex, rather than Mountbatten-Windsor, since King Charles’ coronation last May, a source told The Times.
The revelation comes amid an ongoing row over the Duke and Duchess’s rebranded “royal” website, Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics say is a breach of their promise to the late queen when she bitterly left the front line of the royal family. duties.
Sources told the Times that the relaunch is an attempt to unite projects from Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, and both of their children under the same general website.
The use of Sussex is believed to be in keeping with how Harry was known in the military as Captain Wales.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September 2023. The photo now appears on the homepage of sussex.com
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) with their son Archie and daughter Lilibet
Archewell, the umbrella site for their philanthropic and commercial work, combines the Greek words ‘Arche’ and ‘well’ and is named after the couple’s eldest son.
Prince Harry has repeatedly complained about his youth and being treated as a ‘spare for the heir’, his brother, Prince William, including in his controversial memoir, Spare.
The Sussexes are said to be determined not to repeat Harry’s apparent experiences in their upbringing of Lilibet.
A source told The Times: ‘The reality behind the new site is very simple: it is a hub for the work the Sussexes do and it reflects the fact that the family has had the same surname for the first time since the King’s coronation. That is a big problem for every family. It represents their unification and it is a moment of pride.”
A representative for the Duke and Duchess was contacted for comment.
But a source close to the couple previously defended the use of their royal titles on their new websites, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That’s a fact. It’s their last name and family name.’
On Monday, the Archewell website – the umbrella site for their philanthropic and commercial work – was replaced by ‘sussex.com’ and a new homepage entitled ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’.
The couple replaced their Archewell web page with a site called Sussex.com, which features their biographies and lists their recent activities.
Prince Harry and Meghan after a boat trip during the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023
Yesterday, Meghan released a glowing testimonial about the Canadian agency behind their rebranding.
In a statement on Article, the agency that built Meghan’s new defunct lifestyle blog The Tig, along with the couple’s Archewell website and now Sussex.com, the Duchess said: ‘There’s a reason I work with Ryan and the talented team worked together. Article for a decade: their attention to detail, their creativity and care, and the thoughtful approach to both design and user experience.
‘It’s not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. It is a very special company. Plus, they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.”
Meghan lived in Toronto while filming the TV legal drama Suits, in which she appeared in seven series from 2011. Harry and Meghan also made their first public appearance as a couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.
They also have close ties to Canada, having previously stayed at the luxury Mille Fleurs mansion on Vancouver Island after leaving royal life before moving to California when the Covid pandemic hit.
The website fuss was followed by the release of a new photo of herself wearing Princess Diana’s Cartier watch as she unveiled a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media.
The portrait shot was taken by the couple’s friend Misan Harriman and shows Meghan wearing her late mother-in-law’s gold timepiece worth £17,800, alongside a £5,000 Cartier Love bracelet – a gift from Harry in the early days of their relationship. .
The Sussexes flew to Canada on a private jet yesterday to promote next year’s Invictus Games.
They landed in Vancouver for three days of events related to the competition the Prince founded in 2014 to help injured veterans and military personnel.
A winter edition of the Invictus Games will kick off in February in Whistler and Vancouver – with more than 500 competitors from 20 countries – with the addition of wheelchair curling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and Skeleton.
The couple were due to spend two days meeting competitors in Whistler at a training camp before Harry spoke in Vancouver tomorrow (Friday).
Last week, Harry made a flying visit to London to see his father following his cancer diagnosis. He held a 45-minute meeting with the King at Clarence House before flying to LA 26 hours later.