The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were accused by Palace insiders on Sunday of “losing all sense of perspective” after the couple made a provocative online statement, taking a “swipe” at the Queen and other royals, reports the Daily Mail.
Hours after announcing in a Friday evening statement via Buckingham Palace that they will stop using their Sussex Royal brand after stepping down as senior royals on 31 March, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle posted a 1,114-word “update” on their personal website.
The revised statement claimed the Queen had no “jurisdiction” over the word “Royal” overseas and would have been powerless to stop them if they had decided to use the word when abroad – which they claimed they “chose” not to do.
On Sunday night, sources cited by the publication claim, Buckingham Palace showed signs of exasperation over the couple's words, while not being unduly surprised by them.
“Let's just hope they feel they have got whatever they want to get out of their system,” one insider was quoted as saying.
Another royal insider reportedly said the couple seemed to have “lost all sense of perspective”.
Referring to the decision originally voiced in January by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step down from their roles as senior royals and move to Canada to live a “financially independent” life, another source said:
“It was their decision to do this and the family is clearly trying their best to facilitate it… But it inevitably requires sacrifices on both sides and the Sussexes need to be rather more gracious about it. Sniping from the sidelines doesn't help anyone.”
There has been no comment from Buckingham Palace, with a spokesman emphasizing that a number of official statements had been made since the couple announced their departure last month.
‘Provocative’ Statement
Reminding that Prince Harry remains sixth in line to the throne, the wordy online statement by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle more than hinted at their disappointment over the rejection of their initial plan to retain royal titles while living a financially independent life abroad, trademarking items such as pens, clothing and “emotional support services” under the Sussex Royal logo.
“The preference of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was to continue to represent and support Her Majesty the Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant,” it said.
The update appeared to make references to other royals, such as Prince William and Kate Middleton, who they claim have similarly trademarked their brand for their own charitable foundation.
The couple believe their own attempts to do so were met unfavourably compared with the treatment of other royals.
The revised statement also took a jab at the British media which the couple feels has treated them unfairly.
Over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced a backlash for their statement, with the outlet citing Tom Bower, who penned a biography of Prince Charles, saying:
“The comments smack of spiteful fury. I fear it will get worse.”
It is believed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently reregistering and rebranding their website, which they launched last month in the wake of their bombshell announcement about resigning from royal duties and their non-profit organisation, which is scheduled to be launched later this year.