Upon learning that they would not be permitted to use the Sussex Royal name for their independent branding ventures following their departure from the Royal Family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose to call their charitable foundation Archewell. They stated back in April that the idea was drawn from the Greek word ‘Arche’, meaning ‘source of action’, which also inspired the name of Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. But the couple have faced a fresh set back, with new reports emerging indicating that their trademark application has been rejected.
According to the Sun, the decision was made on the grounds that the Duke and Duchess did not sign the application, that it was ‘too vague’ and because they didn’t pay all the fees required. The couple reportedly submitted their application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office after submitting their application on 3 March. Paperwork obtained by the news outlet indicates that it was filed by Cobblestone Lane LLC, an organisation that’s registered in the US State of Delaware, but which reportedly has ties to the Beverly Hills offices of a leading Hollywood lawyer, employed by Meghan.
An examiner was reportedly assigned to review the application on 26 May. The Sun alleges that the couple have since received an ‘Irregularity Notice’ from the USPTO citing a number of problems. The Notice is said to set out changes which need to be implemented by the couple’s attorney, Marjorie Witter Norman, by 22 August – after which date the application will be ‘abandoned’.
Among the issues raised is the vague nature of the application, with the Notice reportedly stating: ‘The wording “providing a website featuring content relating to philanthropy, monetary giving, volunteer and career opportunities” in International Class 35 is also indefinite and over broad, and must be clarified to specify the nature of the content provided.’ It also states that Harry and Meghan still need to pay some additional fees in order to process their application.
A Non-Final Action was reportedly sent on 2 June, and the trademark can be held without being active until the necessary amendments are filed. Pointing out another issue, the examiner in the Non-Final Office Action paper added that ‘The application was unsigned, resulting in the application not being properly verified.’ Indeed the Sun reports that even carefully drafted trademark applications often face initial rejection by the USPTO, with one in five failing their first examination. The news outlet reached out to Harry and Meghan’s representatives and trademark attorney for comment.
The news comes following reports that the couple have delayed the launch of their new charitable foundation until next year, in light of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. A source told the Daily Telegraph that the public unveiling of Archewell is ‘not on the cards’ until 2021, stating: ‘What’s absolutely clear is that they want to get it right and there’s no point in rushing… They are settling into a new life, a new era. This is about getting it right and making sure they are able to make the difference they want to make.’
Source: Tatler
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have postponed the public launch of their Archewell project, after the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement coincided with their fresh start in America
The Duke and Duchess were expected to launch their non-profit organisation as they began their new working lives from Los Angeles in the spring, with its name now formally registered in the United States.
Instead, it is understood they will now postpone public announcements for the foreseeable future, with no official Archewell projects until next year.
Sources said the couple were responding to current affairs, redirecting their efforts to the Black Lives Matter cause and the wider repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They have undertaken a series of video calls from their new base in LA, and are preparing for greater public involvement in the fight for equality.
The Duchess has already spoken of George Floyd, whose death has inspired worldwide protests against systemic racism, in an address to the graduating class of her old school.
The couple now plan to take a more vocal role in the movement imminently, with action in the coming days.
Sources said Archewell – intended as the home of their charitable activities and as a replacement for their Sussex Royal Foundation – is now unlikely to be launched this year, with the public unveiling fans were expecting “not on the cards” until 2021.
Source: The Telegraph
Hello guys,
Until now, Meghan Markle had remained silent following the death of George Floyd. She broke her silent declaring that ‘black lives matter’ in a video, which you can watch below.
• Meghan Markle says ‘George Floyd’s life mattered’ in speech on US protests at her former school in LA and waited until now because she ‘wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous’.
• Duchess of Sussex gave virtual address to graduating pupils at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles.
• The 38-year-old former actress also named other African Americans killed in US by police in recent years.
Source: Mail Online
Hello Guys!
I hope you are well?
I am really pleased to announce that I have just adopted Meghan Markle Network and will be your new webmiss moving forward. I will update the gallery with all photos from 2020 as soon as possible so please stay tuned.
xoxo
Queen Elizabeth has released a groundbreaking statement after the royal family’s summit in Sandringham to discuss Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step down as senior royals. The meeting came to an end after a two-and-a-half-hour discussion on Monday.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the Queen said in a statement. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.
“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
Palace sources told PEOPLE that the Queen ordered Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles to meet at her country home on Monday in order to “talk things through.” Meghan was thought to have called in from Canada.
A source said it was likely Meghan would participate in the discussion on Monday via phone, as she recently returned to Vancouver Island, Canada, where she and Harry spent the holidays together with their son Archie.
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, shocked the world with their decision to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family” last week. They revealed their plans to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” they wrote in a statement on Instagram.
An insider told PEOPLE that Meghan and Harry’s decision left senior royals “hurt” and “deeply disappointed.”
Royal historian and biographer of the Queen, Robert Lacey, tells PEOPLE: “It was incredibly personal. I can’t recall a royal statement where one gets the sense so much of the Queen herself speaking. Using phrases like ‘my family and I’ is very moving. It clearly shows her wish to resolve everything.”
Adds Ingrid Seward, the Queen’s biographer: “It’s deliberately very vague and doesn’t tell us much apart from Harry and Meghan have won the first round. I’ve never seen a statement like that in 30 years. It was very personal and sounds very sad.”
The unprecedented family summit follows a series of emergency discussions across the last few days and raises the prospect that a solution is in sight that will work for the Sussexes and the royal family.
“There is a range of possibilities for the family to review which take into account the thinking the Sussexes outlined earlier in the week,” the source said.
“As we have said previously, making a change to the working life and role of the monarchy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex requires complex and thoughtful discussions. Next steps will be agreed at the meeting,” the source shared. “The request for this to be resolved ‘at pace’ is still Her Majesty’s wish. The aim remains days not weeks. There is genuine agreement and understanding that any decision will take time to be implemented.”
The meeting was the first time they had all been together since Remembrance Day weekend in November.
The previous discussions that have been taking place between the households of the Queen, Charles, William and Harry and Meghan have also involved the U.K. and Canadian governments.
“There is a range of possibilities for the family to review,” the source reiterated.
The Duke of Sussex‘s close friend JJ Chalmers has said the royal made the decision in order to “protect his family.”
“He’s less the captain in the army I knew, and he’s more a father,” JJ Chalmers, who met Harry while they were both serving in the military, said during an appearance on the UK show The One Show on Friday.
“And I think the decision that he has made, at the forefront of that is to protect his family, because that’s the number one rule is to be a father and to be a husband,” Chalmers added, noting that tensions with the media also played a role.
The couple’s friend Tom Bradby has warned that should a suitable solution not be reached, the royal couple could give a “no-holds-barred interview.”
“I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred sit down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty,” Brady, a journalist who toured southern Africa with the royal couple for the emotional ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, wrote for The Sunday Times.
Shortly after, palace insiders denied claims that Harry and Meghan were being “driven out” of royal life.
Harry and William released a statement denying a U.K. newspaper’s story that the rift between the brothers was allegedly caused by William’s “bullying.” In a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE, Harry and William insisted that the story, which was run by the Times of London, was false.
“Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge,” the statement said.
“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful,” it continued.
William has also privately expressed “sadness” over the distance that has grown between him and his brother.
“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that any more; we’re separate entities,” William told a friend, according to The Sunday Times.
However, the royal also hopes the rift can be repaired in time.
“All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the team,” he said, according to the friend.
Source: People.com
It’ll be a non-royal Christmas for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are skipping the annual holiday festivities at Sandringham — including their public walk to church on Christmas morning — with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royal family.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Wednesday. “Having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, Their Royal Highnesses will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the Duchess’ mother Doria Ragland. This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen.”
The palace didn’t specify where they will be ringing in the holiday, but a source tells PEOPLE that they will not be spending it in Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles, where Doria lives.
Meghan, 38, made her royal Christmas debut in 2017 shortly after she and Prince Harry, 35, announced their engagement. While pregnant with Archie, who the couple welcomed in May, they appeared alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton again last year.
Kate and William, both 37, previously spent Christmas away from Sandringham and the royal family’s annual celebrations. In 2016, they opted to spend the holiday with Kate’s family — and Prince George and Princess Charlotte were spotted attending a church service near Kate’s childhood home in Bucklebury.
Kate, William and their two children walked to St. Mark’s Church in Englefield with the Middleton family. Kate looked glamorous in a burgundy coat with matching fur trim while William kept it conservative in a suit and navy blue coat. Meanwhile, the children looked adorable in their Christmas church ensembles — George in a knee-length Pepa & Co. coat with coordinating knee socks and Charlotte in a dark coat with red tights and a matching bow. George also wore maroon shorts under his coats — matching dad’s tie.
Both of the children were spotted sucking on candy canes as they held their parents hands outside the church. At one point, Charlotte tried to use her tiny candy cane like a walking cane.
The royal children — and their little brother Prince Louis, 1 — have yet to make their royal Christmas debut.
Harry recently opened up about his relationship with his brother William in his emotionally wrenching ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
Speaking about the pressures of their jobs in the royal family, Harry said, “Inevitably stuff happens. But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment. I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy but I love him dearly.”
The father of one added, “The majority of stuff is created out of nothing. As brothers, we have good days and we have bad days.”
Back in April, an insider told PEOPLE that William and Harry “are at very different situations in their lives.”
According to the insider, the two were always destined for different paths. Harry, who leads with his instincts, sees his older brother as being hemmed in by protocol as the future monarch.
Their different approach to life was evident as Harry’s relationship with Meghan grew more serious. Multiple sources told PEOPLE that tensions between the brothers deepened back when Harry first told his family he wanted to marry Meghan after less than a year of dating.
The insider said William — who dated Kate, his college sweetheart, for about eight years before tying the knot — cautioned Harry that things were moving too quickly, leaving Harry angry and hurt.
It was previously revealed that Meghan and Harry will take about six weeks off towards the end of the year to spend some valuable “family time” together amid their concerns that the intense scrutiny they’ve faced has been tough on the couple.
“The duke and duchess have a full schedule of engagements and commitments until mid-November, after which they will be taking some much-needed family time,” a royal source confirmed to PEOPLE.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby — who conducted Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding last year — said the parents are “entitled” to some time off from royal duty.
“All members of the royal family are under a pressure that none of us outside it can possibly imagine,” Welby, 63, told the newspaper. “Every personal action is scrutinized. Every statement is over-interpreted, over-read.”
According to the Times, Welby has a “close personal relationship” with the couple.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are going to take a couple of months away from royal duties … If you look at it as a job, they didn’t take the full allowance of leave that you’re entitled to; every person is entitled to,” he said.
“I don’t know why it should be a point of criticism that they take leave to spend time with a new baby in the way that the law provides for every single employee in this country,” Welby shared.
“They’re not superhuman,” Welby added. “They’re a very remarkable group of people, all of them. But you can’t lay that kind of extra burden on people.”
Source: People.com
Meghan Markle’s case against the British tabloids just moved into a higher gear.
Legal documents filed at the High Court in London on Monday — and reported Friday by the U.K.’s Press Association — show that Meghan is suing the publisher of the Mail on Sunday for printing a “private and confidential” letter to her father, Thomas Markle, 75, at a “time of great personal anguish and distress.”
In court papers seen by the Press Association news agency, Meghan’s attorneys add that the letter detailed “her intimate thoughts and feelings about her father’s health and her relationship with him at that time.”
The royal mom’s legal case centers around a private letter she sent to her father in August 2018. Sections of this correspondence were later published by the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline in February 2019.
The duchess is seeking damages from the Mail on Sunday’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd., for “alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement, and breach of the Data Protection Act.”
Associated Newspapers denies Meghan’s claims and intends to fight the case in the High Court, London.
The Schillings law firm also claims that the Mail on Sunday deliberately chose to “omit or suppress” important sections of the correspondence in an effort to hide the true meaning of Meghan’s words, reports the Press Association.
It adds that the newspaper also didn’t warn Meghan that the letter was going to be published — something that’s standard within news publishing.
“The letter was obviously private correspondence written by the claimant to her father,” states the Schillings submission, according to the Press Association.
It adds that Meghan “intended the detailed contents of the letter to be private, and certainly did not expect them to be published to the world at large by a national newspaper, and without any warning.”
In a preview clip of the upcoming ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey —featuring behind-the-scenes glimpse of the royal couple’s recent tour of southern Africa — the duchess, 37, speaks openly about the pain of being a new mom in the public eye.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging,” she tells ITV news anchor Tom Bradby about the negative tabloid attention she received during her pregnancy and first months with son Archie, born May 6.
“Then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot,” she adds. “So, you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um . . . yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
Bradby asked if it “would be fair” to say that she’s “not really okay, as in it’s really been a struggle?” to which Meghan responds, “yes.”
The documentary will air in the U.S. on ABC Wednesday, Oct. 23. at 10 p.m. ET.
Shortly after the announcement that Meghan was taking legal action against Associated Newspapers, her husband Prince Harry also released an unprecedented statement.
“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” Harry said, before adding that he and Meghan have “continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.”
Harry is himself suing News UK (owner of The Sun newspaper) and MGN (former owner of The Mirror) over alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages.
Source: People.com
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are giving royal fans a behind-the-scenes look at their time in Africa.
In late September, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex kicked off their 10-day tour of Africa alongside their son, Archie Harrison. During the tour, the royal parents introduced baby Archie to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe. While that sweet meeting was captured by cameras and broadcast around the world, we’re now getting to see more private moments with the family during their tour, thanks to a new documentary.
This Sunday, the UK’s ITV network is set to air Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. In the documentary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex talk to journalist Tom Bradby about the causes close to their hearts, as well as life as modern royals. A just-released preview clip from the documentary shows viewers what they can expect from the documentary, including one adorable moment when Meghan kisses baby Archie’s head.
“It was a journey, but not always the one I was expecting,” Tom Bradby says in the sneak peek clip. “The story of their time in Africa was of passion for their work, private happiness, but also a world of pressure and pain behind the brave faces.”
It was during the couple’s tour of Africa that Harry released a powerful statement against the British tabloid press over their “ruthless” campaign against Meghan.
“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” Harry’s statement read. “There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.”
It was also confirmed that the royals are taking legal action against The Mail on Sunday over the publishing of a private letter written by Meghan. Days later, it was revealed that the Duke of Sussex is set to sue the owners of the Sun and the Daily Mirror over alleged phone hacking claims.
Harry & Meghan: An African Journey will air this Sunday, Oct. 20, at 9 p.m. on ITV.
Source: E!
Prince Harry is taking a powerful stance against the “ruthless” treatment he says wife Meghan Markle has received in the British tabloid press.
“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” Harry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The prince went on to say that he and Meghan have “continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.”
His statement comes as the couple launches legal action against the Mail on Sunday.
A legal spokesperson from Schillings, who is representing the Duchess of Sussex, said: “We have initiated legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday, and its parent company Associated Newspapers, over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which is part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband. Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda.”
Harry added that he has been “a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in.”
“The positive coverage of the past week from these same publications exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified her almost daily for the past nine months; they have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you’ve seen on this Africa tour.”
Harry also evoked the memory of his late mother, Princess Diana, in his statement, saying: “Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.
“We thank you, the public, for your continued support. It is hugely appreciated. Although it may not seem like it, we really need it.”
This is not the first time that Harry has come to Meghan’s defense. Soon after they went public with their relationship in 2016, the prince released a powerful statement, slamming what he called the racist and sexist abuse she had endured since her relationship with him was revealed.
And while this summer has brought much joy after the birth of their son, Archie, they’ve also been faced with difficulty. But when negative headlines pop up, Meghan and Harry pull even closer together.
“They definitely lean on each other during challenging times,” a source recently told PEOPLE.
Source: People Magazine
Meghan Markle is making her official return to royal duties after maternity leave!
The Duchess of Sussex will step out next Thursday, Sept. 12, to launch the capsule collection of women’s workwear she created with her designer friend Misha Nonoo.
The outing marks her first official work engagement since she and Prince Harry welcomed their first child, a son they named Archie Harrison, on May 6, making her return to royal duties just over four months after Archie’s birth.
The clothing line will benefit her patronage Smart Works, a charity that helps women find employment with coaching tips and professional attire for their job interviews. For every item bought during the sale of the collection, one will be donated to Smart Works.
“When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes,” Meghan wrote in the September issue of British Vogue, which she guest edited. “Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”
“To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friends, the designer Mischa Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe,” she added. “Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together.”
The royal mom shared the first glimpse of her project in a candid Instagram Story last month. In the video, which is set to the Bill Withers’ 1977 hit, “Lovely Day,” the Meghan surprises a group of women as they arrive to the collection’s photo shoot.
Meghan excitedly puts her hand to her face as the women come up the stairs to be greeted by the royal with a hug. She proceeds to help direct the shoot from the sidelines and even styles the women.
Dressed casually chic in skinny jeans, a blue-and-white striped collared shirt by sustainable British women’s shirt brand With Nothing Underneath and nude heels, Meghan is animated as she laughs and jokes around on set. At the end of the video, she excitedly claps in front of the camera.
Although Meghan has been mostly out of the spotlight since Archie’s arrival, she’s stayed very busy. In addition to her work as the guest editor of British Vogue and the capsule collection, Meghan made her first post-baby appearance at Trooping the Colour in June to celebrate Queen Elizabeth‘s birthday with the rest of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Meghan, 38, also made a surprise appearance alongside Harry when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox faced off for the first-ever regular season MLB game in London, where the new parents were presented with some baseball-themed gifts for Archie.
Meghan’s summer also included Archie’s christening, outings to Wimbledon (including watching the women’s final with sister-in-law Kate Middleton and Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton), a family outing to watch Prince William and Prince Harry play polo that marked Archie’s first public appearance and a “date night” with Harry to see The Lion King, where they met the film’s stars including Beyoncé.
Source: People
