Meghan Markle has posted a statement which appears to subtly hit back at critics of her and Prince Harry’s new website, which has come under fire for its usage of the royal crest and prominently using the couple’s royal titles.
The Duchess wrote a comment on Article.com, the digital agency she used for the designs of her sites The Tig and Archewell, who have now turned their hand to helping the Sussex rebrand.
She posted: “There is a reason I have worked with Ryan and the talented team at Article for a decade: their attention to detail, their creativity and care, and the thoughtful approach to design as well as to the user experience.
“They’re not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. They’re a very special company. Plus they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.”
Meghan has long had a soft spot for Canada, as she lived in Toronto while she was filming Suits and will also be travelling there for the next Invictus Games.
The new website consistently refers to the couple as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, despite them stepping down as working royals in 2020.
While they are permitted to keep using their titles, questions have arisen about them being used in conjunction with any commercial ventures, which would violate the agreement made when they quit the Firm.
Harry and Meghan agreed to stop using Sussex Royal in 2020, however a friend of theirs has defended their right to keep using the Sussex name as they said: “Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.”
Another source told the Mail: “They are going to have real trouble with the use of Sussex. It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down. It’s just staggering they cannot see how gauche it is.”
The new website also features lengthy biographies of the couple, with Harry described as a “humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner”.
Meghan meanwhile is heralded as a “feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity” and “one of the most influential women in the world” across a series of rankings”.