Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused by Lady Colin Campbell of “hijacking” the Sussex name for her website.
Lady Campbell, who lives in a castle in Goring, West Sussex, revealed she bought domain names for other Sussex-related sites and criticized the couple for launching a new website which has “nothing to do with the county”.
The former I’m A Celebrity star acquired the domain names dukeandduchessofsussex.co.uk and officialussex.com, which she said she would give to the couple if they stop using Sussex.com.
It comes after the Duke and Duchess launched Sussex.com this week in what has been called a “betrayal” of their deal with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Following the so-called ‘Sandringham summit’ in 2020, the couple agreed to step back from their royal duties and stop using their HRH titles for commercial purposes or trading their royal connections.
They were also forced to freeze their existing website, Sussexroyal.com, which had been launched weeks earlier without warning and which effectively contained their “manifesto” for a new life half inside and half outside the Royal Family.
Lady Campbell, 74, entered the Sussex.com queue and said: ‘[It] It is not only an imposition on the people of Sussex, but also an impertinence, as their website has nothing to do with the county, but the domain name gives the misleading impression that it does.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused by Lady Colin Campbell of hijacking the Sussex name for her website.
The former I’m A Celebrity star bought other domain names from Sussex-related websites
Meghan’s coat of arms issued in 2018 is seen above the couple’s names on Sussex.com
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal coat of arms features prominently on the new Sussex.com website and could cause tensions as a result.
The royal biographer said she was “baffled” by the couple’s “hijacking of the county name for their website.”
She said: ‘The geographical assignment of their title may share a name with the county, but they are not representatives of the county, nor do many of its residents share its values.
“In fact, many deplore what they represent, and it would surely have been more appropriate for them to have had a domain name like dukeandduchessofsussex.com.”
She says she will give them the domain name she registered if the couple stops using Sussex.com.
The websites show photographs of Castle Goring, his sprawling 18th-century estate in West Sussex, which is rented out as a film location as well as a venue for weddings and private events.
Lady Campbell, who was born Georgie Ziadie, and holds her title through a brief marriage to the youngest son of the Duke of Argyll, Lord Colin Campbell, in 1974.
A row has broken out this week over the Duke and Duchess’ decision to replace their Archewell website, the umbrella name for all their philanthropic and business endeavours, with ‘Sussex.com’.
The new homepage for ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess went live on Monday evening.
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 home page of sussex.com
Meghan and Harry attend the Invictus Games One Year To Go event on February 14
Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis and appears to be having fun as his instructor pushes him down the slope.
A film crew was seen joining the Sussexes as they arrived for a day of sit skiing.
Their “About” page says: “The office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.”
The Sussex.com website contains flowery descriptions of the Duke and Duchess.
Featuring Meghan’s coat of arms and brilliant biographies of the couple, as well as the latest news about the couple.
Many close to the royal household believe it is a flagrant breach of the supposedly strict assurances Harry and Meghan gave the late Queen when they bitterly quit as senior royals in 2020, and comes dangerously close to using their royal status for profit. commercial.
After stepping away from royal duties and having their HRH titles stripped, the Sussexes have exchanged under his new Archewell guise.
Harry and Meghan purchased the domain name for their Sussex.com website from a British-born businessman who is believed to be very happy with the fee he received.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched their controversial website as part of a royal rebrand after purchasing the domain name for an undisclosed fee from tech entrepreneur Neil Agate.
Agate, who is from Sussex but lives in the United States, created the name in 1995 and stuck with it for almost 30 years.
It is understood that Harry and Meghan used a broker who did not reveal the Sussexes’ identities when they purchased the domain name without discussing the price.
It was reported yesterday that Prince Harry, who stepped down as a royal in 2020, would be willing to return to a temporary royal role in support of his father during his battle with cancer.
The duke, who made a transatlantic dash to see King Charles for about 30 minutes on February 6, reportedly told friends he was returning to Britain to help with royal duties while his father received treatment.
But Buckingham Palace appears to have ruled this out, with palace sources claiming there is “no turning back” for the duke.
Archewell has been contacted for comment.