Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's swipe at late Queen in blistering statement

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are believed to have taken a swipe at Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 when they confirmed they would no longer use their "Sussex Royal" brand for personal business ventures. After quitting royal life in 2020, Harry and Meghan were reportedly advised not to use their "Sussex Royal" titles for any financial or business purposes, as they should not monetise from their royal links.

With reports at the time suggesting that Harry and Meghan were reluctant to stop using such titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex eventually had their spokesperson pen a statement explaining that a new not-for-profit organisation they were setting up would not use the "Sussex Royal" brand name.

It was in this statement that royal author Tom Bower claimed the couple had taken a swipe at the late Queen, as the statement said that the monarchy had no "jurisdiction" over how the word royal is used overseas.

The statement in 2020 by Harry and Meghan's spokesperson read: "As shared in early January on this website, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not plan to start a 'foundation', but rather intend to develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally.

"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.'

"For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed."

The statement continued: "While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word 'Royal' overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use 'Sussex Royal' or any iteration of the word 'Royal' in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.

"As The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to develop their non-profit organisation and plan for their future, we hope that you use this site as the source for factual information. In Spring 2020, their digital channels will be refreshed as they introduce the next exciting phase to you."

The couple still hold the titles of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

They have their Archewell Foundation, which they set up in 2020 after quitting royal life, and their Sussex.com website where they update fans and followers of their charitable work and engagements.