Duke and Duchess of Sussex launch new website
In individual biographies of the couple, Harry is highlighted as a "humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner", while Meghan is described as a "feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity".
Tuesday 13 February 2024 13:16, UK
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have launched a new website highlighting their credentials.
Harry and Meghan's previous site, Archewell, now automatically redirects to "Sussex.com", and a picture of the couple dominates the main web page, overlaid with the text: "The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke & Duchess of Sussex".
Archewell - a name inspired by their son Archie - had replaced Harry and Meghan's previous Sussex Royal brand after they quit royal duties.
The new website's main web page features a photo of the couple overlaid with the text: "The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke & Duchess of Sussex", along with a royal coat of arms.
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Analysis
'Shaping the future through business and philanthropy', the website says.
A reminder of why the Sussexes need to promote themselves like this. Ultimately they need to make money in a way they just didn’t when they were part of the royal family.
But why a new website?
I’m not a brand expert but all I can think is that the Archewell sites weren’t proving to be a good enough platform to sell what the Sussexes have to offer.
As public figures they’re not unique in wanting to set out their stall with a glossy website, and we have to remember that with everything they do there will be certain people who’ll automatically jump to criticise.
But what is striking about this new site is how royal it looks.
Their Duke and Duchess titles are incredibly prominent, along with the royal coat of arms they unveiled when they got married.
It has been pointed out to me that oddly they have chosen to use the Duchess’s Coat of Arms to represent them both.
Also, it is out of date. These Arms were granted by Elizabeth II to Meghan and have not been updated because it shows the coronet of a Sovereign’s ‘grandchild’, rather than a Sovereign’s ‘son’ and the half of Meghan’s shield covering Harry still has a label of five points, when now it should now be one of three.
Their team argue that they are their titles, so why shouldn’t they use them? But it is a reminder of the row and debate that blew up when they decided to step away.
Would they be using their links to the royal family for financial gain?
It feels slightly uncomfortable that one of the points in Prince Harry’s CV is how many copies of his book Spare he’s sold, a book that trashed certain members of his family.
What is interesting is how the new site also includes a link to their sussexroyal.com website.
The platform was launched on the night they surprised everyone by saying they wanted to leave and start a new life.
On the old site you can again read “the deal” that was eventually done with the family as part of their transition.
A new website is a reminder that process is still work in progress.
On the "about" page, the website states: "The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.
"This includes: The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organisations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together."
In individual biographies of the couple, Harry is highlighted as a "humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner", while Meghan is described as a "feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity" who has been named "one of the most influential women in the world" across a series of rankings.
The couple's old website - sussexroyal.com - which they launched in 2020, also prompts users of the new site, with the message: "This site was established in 2020 and sets out the work streams of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex prior to their move to the United States."
It then offers a link to their new site, stating the user can "learn more about the royal couple and their philanthropic endeavours".
Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children - Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet - flew to the UK last week to meet with the King following his cancer diagnosis.