Harry and Meghan's 'simple' reason for new website - and it's down to kids

15 February 2024 , 13:37

995     0

Harry and Meghan in Whistler (Image: Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a "very simple" reason for launching their new website - their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, a source has claimed.

The couple quietly launched their new site sussex.com earlier this week and sparked a royal row by using it to boast of their links to the Royal Family by prominently featuring their royal titles - Duke and Duchess of Sussex and a coat of arms. In the couple's bios on their site, their children are referred to as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The children were given the titles once their grandfather Charles became King and a source says that mentioning their children by referring to them as Prince and Princess has caused 'surprise'.

The couple and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (EPN/Newscom / Avalon)

The couple have titles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (PA)

Now it has been reported that Archie and Lilibet have now taken on the Sussex name as their surname - and the two children are behind the new site. A source told The Times: "The reality behind the new site is very simple — it's a hub for the work the Sussexes do and it reflects the fact the family have, since the King’s coronation, the same surname for the first time. That’s a big deal for any family. It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment."

Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet weren't given prince/princess or HRH titles at birth as they were not at the time grandchildren of the monarch - this was despite Meghan saying in the couple's interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.

Despite railing against their time in the Royal Family, when Charles became King in September 2022, Archie and Lilibet became the grandchildren of a Monarch which changed their status. It was then revealed last March, when Lilibet was christened, that the children would be given Prince and Princess titles. At that time, Harry and Meghan were understood to be keen to not deny their children their birthright but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using the titles.

Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'

Last night the couple spent their Valentine's Day in Canada, where they joined Invictus Games competitors training in Whistler to mark a year until the global sporting event. Harry founded the Paralympic-style sporting competition in 2014 for injured and sick military personnel and veterans to aid their recovery.

At the Games next year around 550 competitors from up to 25 nations will compete in indoor adaptive events like sitting volleyball, swimming and wheelchair basketball, and for the first time, winter sports like alpine skiing, snowboarding and wheelchair curling will be on the schedule.

Their trip comes as King Charles' slimmed-down monarchy has been put under pressure, with Charles postponing all public-facing duties due to his cancer diagnosis and the Princess of Wales out of action for the immediate future following abdominal surgery.

Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children flew to the UK last week to meet with the King following his diagnosis. He made the visit without Meghan and their children less than 24 hours after the announcement about Charles' health was made to the nation by Buckingham Palace. But there was no meeting with his brother, the Prince of Wales after Harry spent around 45 minutes at Clarence House seeing their father.

Jennifer Newton