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Prince Harry and Meghan hit back after criticism of Sussex.com launch and family rebrand, defiantly insisting they ‘will not be broken’ by anyone, just get a LIFE!!
Prince Harry and Meghan have hit out at criticism of their Sussex.com website and royal rebrand – defiantly insisting they ‘will not be broken’.
The couple, who have been embroiled in a series of controversies this week, issued the extraordinary statement this evening.
They have come under fire in recent days over their new Sussex.com website, in particular Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen Elizabeth when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.
And their decision to change their children Archie and Lilibet’s surnames to Sussex has also raised eyebrows among royal watchers.
The moves have sparked a fresh round of criticism of the Duke and Duchess and renewed calls for the duo to have their titles removed.
But this evening a representative for Harry and Meghan slapped down suggestions these were the last chances for them to win back popularity and success.
The source said: ‘We’ve heard time and time again that certain opportunities are make or break for the couple.
‘They’re still here. They’re still working and pursuing what they believe in, despite constantly being challenged and criticised.
‘This couple will not be broken,’ the representative added to the Mirror.
The couple spent Valentine’s Day in Whistler, Canada, promoting the next Invictus Games while being followed by a film crew.
It was their first public appearance since the announcement of King Charles cancer diagnosis.
Harry and Meghan are currently in an ongoing row over the Duke and Duchess’ rebranded ‘royal’ website Sussex.com – complete with Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.
Sources say the couple did not consult palace officials about using their Sussex titles.
A source close to the couple defended the use of their royal titles, saying: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That is a fact. It is their surname and family name.’
On Tuesday, Meghan was forced to put out a statement defending the graphic design company that created the couple’s new website.
Furthermore, a source told the Times that 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.
Sources said the relaunch is a bid to unite projects by Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, and both their children under the same overall website.
The furore over the website was followed by her releasing a new photograph of herself wearing Princess Diana’s Cartier watch as she unveiled a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media.
The portrait photo was taken by the couple’s friend Misan Harriman and features Meghan wearing her late mother-in-law’s gold time-piece worth £17,800, alongside a £5,000 Cartier Love bracelet – a reported gift from Harry in the early days of their relationship.
Critics said the website is an attempt to monetize the couple’s royal connections leading to a new round of calls for the duo to have their titles removed, including from Meghan’s biographer Tom Bower.
One said: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror reported that the couple did not consult palace officials before launching the new site.
Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce believe the couple should be stripped of their titles to stop them shamelessly profiting off the Royal family.
Without the Royal family, Ms Vine said, Harry would simply be a ‘slightly thick, balding ex-soldier’ while Meghan would be a ‘moderately attractive, not very successful ex-actress’.
Elsewhere this week, Markle has signed a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after she and Prince Harry parted ways with Spotify.
The move will see her host a new podcast series for the female-founded company and have her Spotify-exclusive show Archetypes distributed to all platforms.
The new deal comes a year after the Dutchess and her husband Harry ended their $20million deal with Spotify, three years after it was signed.
Spotify and the Sussexes’s audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together’.
A top Spotify podcast executive then called Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘f***ing grifters’ after they produced only one 13-episode series of a podcast for the company, and then split.