MEGA CHANGE
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle ditch Archewell & launch slick new website using ROYAL titles to share ‘personal updates’
One expert blasted them for 'cashing in on royal connections they hate so much'
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have undergone a major rebrand in a bid to share more "personal updates" with fans.
The couple last night launched to replace their website.
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Archewell.com now automatically redirects to Sussex.com.
While Harry, 39, and 42-year-old Meghan ditched their Archewell website, their foundation in the same name is still in effect.
The website boasting 'The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan' will share "personal updates for the couple" that are not related to Archewell, sources say.
It is also said to be a "one-stop-shop" for their activities.
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Their fresh move to rebrand as Sussex.com comes after the Queen banned the couple from using 'SussexRoyal' after they stepped away from royal duty four years ago.
The Queen ordered the Sussexes to mothball it in the January 2020 exit settlement, when Meghan and Harry stopped being senior members of the royal family.
But the new site still links back to the Sussex Royal website.
Visitors to that site see a notice that reads: "This site was established in 2020 and sets out the work streams of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex prior to their move to the United States."
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A link then takes the pair back to Sussex.com.
It comes as the couple is set to appear in Vancouver this week to mark 12 months before Harry's Invictus Games 2025.
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This is the first rebrand the couple have undergone since they launched Archewell in October 2020.
They had previously used Sussex Royal setting up a website and social media profiles.
Megxit terms mean the couple can use their Duke and Duchess titles but cannot use HRH in their new financial endeavours.
However, the couple has now been accused of "cashing in" on their royal connections - after using their royal crest.
The Duchess of Sussex worked closely with the College of Arms in London to create the design, Kensington Palace said at the time it was first revealed after their royal wedding in May 2018.
Royal expert Angela Levin today dubbed the couple "pathetic" for using the royal coat of arms.
She told The Sun: "They are cashing in on their royal connections that they say they hate so much.
"Queen Elizabeth II would be furious because they promised they wouldn't do that.
"They should be stopped from using a title that they spent years insulting."
In September last year, it was revealed the couple were planning to launch new projects.
On Sussex.com, biographies on Harry and Meghan include the line: "The Duke and Duchess are committed to their mission: Show Up, Do Good.
"They hold the value that charitable work should not simply be a handout, but rather a hand held."
Couple to come 'under fire' over royal crest
By Matt Wilkinson
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry are set to come under fire for using their royal coat of arms in their US-based rebrand.
The Duchess of Sussex worked closely with the College of Arms in London to create the design, Kensington Palace said at the time it was first revealed after their royal wedding in May 2018.
The crest - which harks back to their royal life despite walking away to live in the USA - has a blue shield representing the Pacific Ocean and rays symbolising sunshine of California
The lion relates to the Duke of Sussex and a songbird supporting represents Meghan.
Beneath the shield is California's state flower the golden poppy and Wintersweet and was also depicted on the duchess' wedding veil.
The three quills illustrate the power of words and communication.
The royal crest has barely been used by the couple before.
And a royal expert tonight slammed the Sussexes for "cashing in" on the crest.
Angela Levin told The Sun: "They are cashing in on their royal connections that they say they hate so much.
"Queen Elizabeth II would be furious because they promised they wouldn't do that.
"They should be stopped from using a title that they spent years insulting
"They left the Royal Family because they didn't want anything to do with it but now realise they can use Sussex rather than Archewell.
"Four years after they left they are trying to be royal and also setting up the 'Office' of Prince Harry and Meghan, it is so hypocritical.
"It is pathetic, they couldn't use SussexRoyal so they have found a way round it."
The site also reads: "The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.
"This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archwell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organizations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together."
Prince Harry's bio describes him as "a humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner".
It reads: "He has dedicated his adult life to advancing causes that he is passionate about and that advance permanent change for people and places."
The site also describes his time in the Army, names the organisations he's founded, and that he's a New York Times Bestselling author after writing Spare.
Meghan's bio says she's "a feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity".
The website says: "Her lifelong advocacy for women and girls remains a constant thread in her humanitarian and business ventures."
It goes on to say she "has been named one of the most influential women in the world", had a leading role in show Suits and has served in roles like the UN Women’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation.
The duchess was this weekend snapped beaming in the kitchen as she made traditional Afgan food with 15 other women.
The group has resettled in the US after shifting from Afganistan, and shared their stories with Meghan afterwards.
Earlier this month it was revealed the couple were making a last-ditch bid to rescue their £80million Netflix deal.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning "unscripted" shows and a film after experts dubbed their deal with the streaming giant a "ticking time bomb".
Harry and Meghan signed a deal with Netflix in 2020, but rumours have been swirling that it had been a flop.
The couple then last week headed along to a film premiere for a Paramount Pictures film - the streaming giant's opposition - with experts claiming they were "desperate to be seen".
However, a Netflix boss said earlier this month that the Sussexes "actually have a bunch in development".
reported chief content officer Bela Bajaria said the new projects were linked to Archewell, and included "a couple of unscripted things".
She was speaking at one of the streaming giant's promotional events when she added Harry and Meghan were also working on a film and a series - which are in "very early development".
Last year the couple’s six-part soul-baring series was the streaming giant’s most-viewed documentary.
But Harry and Meghan are believed to have been paid only half of their reported £78m contract.
Meghan Markle cooking
By Jane Matthews
MEGHAN Markle beamed in a kitchen as she joined 15 women who have resettled in the US at the weekend.
As part of The Welcome Project, which was launched last year with the Archewell Foundation, the Duchess of Sussex cooked up a storm alongside women from Afganistan.
Meghan, 42, was all smiles as the group created traditional Afghan food.
The project is supposed to create "a safe haven and inclusive environment for women who have recently resettled in the US from Afghanistan", the Archewell Foundation said.
Mina's List, the foundation's partner, brought together the women who prepared traditional Afghan food like Ashak and Mantuu - both of which are a type of dumpling.
The group then sat down and shared personal stories with the duchess, as well as chatting about the "support they find from this inter-generational group of women".
It was said they will get the rest only if they produce content of real interest before the end of 2025.
Last month comedian Jo Koy roasted the pair at the Golden Globes saying they were “being paid millions by Netflix for doing nothing”.
At the time royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the couple could lose everything if they don’t knuckle down and get producing before their contract ends.
He told The Sun: “It's important also to remember the Netflix contract goes on to 2025.
"Netflix is no longer producing The Crown, and from that point of view it may well be, if the Sussexes, don't produce what they want.
“If they lost that, they really would be losers in every sense."
Last year the couple faced a public split from Spotify.
Their Archewell company’s £18m deal with the platform was ended by mutual agreement after Meghan, 41, produced only 13 broadcasts in two-and-a half years.
It comes as royal experts yesterday claimed the couple were clutching at straws by trying to cosy up with Paramount's boss.
They said Harry and Meghan were "blatantly" after a deal with the media giant just as one of Archewell Productions key members quit.
Bennett Levine - who worked on the flop docuseries Harry and Meghan - confirmed he was quitting, after less than two years in the role.
The Archewell Foundation operated at a £536,357 loss but kept in the black thanks to earlier donations.
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A single donation of $10m — 77% of Archewell’s total 2021 income — came from one unidentified wealthy donor.
The Sussexes much-hyped foundation Archewell, revealed a hole in the accounts in December last year after it received almost £9m less in donations than in a previous year.
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Harry and Meghan's business flops
- Meghan had her upcoming animated series Pearl chucked out by Netflix while in the development stage.
- Then 42-year-old was said to have been “uncharacteristically quiet”, following the loss of her £18million Spotify deal in June last year.
- While Spare initially sold a staggering number of copies demand soon dwindled and a year on its popularity has plummeted with major retailers slashing prices in half.
- Meanwhile, their Netflix documentary also took a hit and the duke and duchess are believed to have been paid only half of their reported £78million contract.
- The pair were poked fun at by comedian Jo Koy at the Golden Globes for “being paid millions by Netflix for doing nothing”.
- Harry’s series, Heart of Invictus, shedding light on the Olympic-style games he started for wounded ex-service competitors also flopped.
- Archewell figures in December last year revealed a hole in the accounts after it received almost £9million less in donations than in a previous year.
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