Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Announce They Will No Longer Use Sussex Royal Instagram Account

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced on Monday that they’ll no longer be using the name Sussex Royal in a post on their Instagram account and website.

The couple has been gradually stepping back from their royal duties as they make room in their lives for more time with their family and friends, along with their personal charities and endeavors. Part of that shift involves moving from the United Kingdom to spend more time in North America. Their latest announcement indicates that they are distancing themselves even further as they cease using the term “royal.”

The pair opened their message on the difficult moment the world is currently facing, adding that they believed in the potential of humanity to “make a difference” in each other’s lives.

“What’s most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic,” they wrote.

The message went on to say that while the couple was looking into ways to contribute to global change, they were also opening a new chapter in their lives.

Harry and Meghan made a lengthier announcement on their official Sussex Royal website that went into further detail about everything they would be doing as they transitioned away from their royal duties. Part of that included details on the controversy over their use of the term “royal.”

The couple explained in the statement that they planned to work along with global charity foundations and to create a non-profit entity, rather than establishing their own foundation, as previous rumors have suggested.

“The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to. While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal’, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal.'”

The announcement added that though there is no prohibition against using the term “royal” in areas that don’t fall under the British monarchy, they would not use the term any longer as of Spring 2020.

The couple says that they plan to introduce a new digital presence around the same time.

In February, rumors began to circulate that the couple would no longer be able to use the term “Royal” after stepping back from their official duties. The announcement seemed to confirm that this was the case, saying that the entire royal family agreed that the use of the term would need to be evaluated.