The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have put all plans to rebrand ‘on ice’ amid the coronavirus crisis, royal expert Camilla Tominey has claimed.
Prince Harry , 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, yesterday shared their final post on the Sussex Royal Instagram account, ahead of officially stepping down as working senior royals today.
The couple, who are believed to be living in Malibu with 10-month-old Archie, were rumoured to be revealing their new brand and charity this week, with Instagram being their launch platform of choice.
However, appearing on This Morning today, royal commentator Camillam claimed that all plans to ‘rebrand as celebrities’ have been put ‘on ice’.
Prince Harry , 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, pictured at a photocall in 2017, have put all plans to rebrand ‘on ice’ amid the coronavirus crisis
Royal commentator Camilla Tominey (pictured) appeared on This Morning today where she claimed the couple have decided against launching new projects at the moment, as they wouldn’t get the ‘column inches’
She told the couple have decided against launching new projects at the moment, because they wouldn’t get the ‘column inches’ they wanted, as well as feeling it’s ‘inappropriate’ to rebrand at this time.
Host Phillip Schofield, said the post was the couple ‘signing off’, Camilla agreed: Wasn’t it? Very much so. What’s interesting is, this week they were meant to be launching their life as non-royals.
‘Today marks the end of that transition period, where they they were meant to officially step down, but of course due to the coronavirus outbreak they haven’t been able to do that. They’ve effectively put these all on ice.
‘I think they regarded it as not only inappropriate to be rebranding at a time like this, but equally, they aren’t going to get the column inches they wanted.
The couple, who will drop the royal from their titles tomorrow after giving up their positions as senior members of the Firm, posted a message to their account yesterday evening
She went on: ‘We understand that this big move was done rather in a rush. They took one of the last flights of Canada to get to America and they’re currently renting and looking somewhere, perhaps on the beach front in Malibu. But all of the plans about them launching this new charity, have been put on ice.’
Between them Harry and Meghan boast 11.3 million followers on their current SussexRoyal Instagram account, and were expected to launch a series of projects following the announcement of their image revamp.
The move was set to spark an upsurge in activity for both Prince Harry and Meghan, who have been laying the foundations for life after royal duty.
Camila went on: ‘They also are signalling today, which is a bit of a shock compared to what they were announcing in January, the idea they remain royal ends today. As they can no longer use their Sussex Royal title, which they’ve used as their branding since they married.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who carried out their final round of royal duties in Britain this month (pictured at the Commonwealth Day service on March 9), are planning the launch of their new non-profit organisation for next month
The couple are rumoured to be living in Malibu with 10-month-old Archie, and promised in their Instagram post last night to continue their charity work behind the scenes.
Camilla told that the pair are ‘setting up shop as celebrities’ and will be ‘on the red carpet with the rest of the A-listers’ after dropping their royal branding.
Speaking of their move to Los Angeles, Camilla said: ‘It’s her hometown, it’s where she grew up, where all her friends are based. They’ve announce they are being represented by that US agency Sunshine Sachs.
‘They’ve said they will no longer be represented by the royal communication office, essentially they’re setting up shop as celebrities.
‘They’re still known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but they can’t use that royal branding, so they’re on the red carpet with the rest of the A-listers.’
Camilla told that the pair are ‘setting up shop as celebrities’ and will be ‘on the red carpet with the rest of the A-listers’ after dropping their royal branding
Meghan, 38, is understood to have ‘heaps of projects in the works’ after stepping back from her duties, spanning across various areas, to help the couple become financially independent.
The former actress’ first gig after quitting the royal family was revealed on Thursday – with Meghan voicing a Disney documentary on elephants.
In their post last night, the pair encouraged followers to be strong and positive amid the pandemic, they thanked fans for their support and said they looked forward to ‘reconnecting soon’.
The post read: ‘Thank you for your support, inspiration and commitment to the good in the world.’
The couple, seen at their engagement photocall in 2017, who are rumoured to be living in Malibu with 10-month-old Archie, promised to continue their charity work behind the scenes
The post, which had the comments switched off, racked up thousands of likes within minutes and signed off with ‘Harry and Meghan’. The comments on their remaining posts appear to also have been switched off.
Shared on their traditional navy blue template, the message begins by addressing the coronavirus pandemic, and reads: ‘As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile.
‘Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise.’