Meghan Markle's team respond to row over use of HRH title after 'agreeing with Queen'

Edinburgh Live

29-04-2025

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Representatives for Meghan Markle have weighed in on the controversy surrounding her use of the HRH title, which seems to contravene an accord with the late Queen. Meghan and Prince Harry relinquished their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) statuses upon retiring as senior royals in March 2020.
Yet, a new podcast interview features an image of a gift card from Meghan inscribed with: "with the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex". The card was highlighted while Meghan had her inaugural podcast chat with Jamie Kern Lima, the entrepreneur behind IT Cosmetics.
Jamie disclosed that the basket with homemade strawberry sauce and ice cream, complimented by the note, arrived at her residence "about a year ago... to see if that helps lighten my load".
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Despite no formal laws enacted or agreements written to proscribe its utilisation, Harry and Meghan consented with the late Queen and top-rank officers to cease the use of the term 'Royal' following what has been coined Megxit Day.
The duo elucidated on their official website at the time: "As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their 'HRH' prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.", reports the Mirror.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020."
A representative for the Sussexes has now refuted claims that Meghan uses the title Her Royal Highness for commercial reasons.
Sources close to Harry and Meghan have suggested to the Daily Mail that the photo shared on the podcast by Jamie Kern Lima was taken prior to the launch of As Ever. They maintain that they do not publicly use the HRH, despite still holding the titles.
However, as indicated by the image shared by Jamie, they do use the style in personal correspondence and among friends. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for a response.
This comes after Meghan revealed on the podcast that she and her husband are experiencing a renewed 'honeymoon' phase since gaining "a little bit of breathing space" following their step back from Royal duties. Meghan expressed that the couple found it difficult to fully enjoy each other's company early in their relationship due to the intense media scrutiny.
The couple began dating in 2016 and wed in 2018, initially undertaking Royal duties before deciding to step back in 2020, which led to strained relations between Harry, the King, and Prince William. She explained: "You have to imagine at the beginning, everyone has, like, butterflies. Then we immediately went into the trenches together. Yeah, right out of the gate, like six months into dating.
"So now, seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way, and that's why I feel like it's more of a honeymoon period for us now."
the duchess expressed, lauding her husband for keeping their family 'safe'.
"He's just out there, just constant, like he's just going to do whatever he can to make sure that our family is safe and protected and we're uplifted and still make time for date nights," Meghan shared. "He's also a fox. If you haven't noticed, my husband's very, very handsome. But his heart is even more beautiful," she continued.
Meghan was visibly moved when discussing her children, Archie and Lilibet, and disclosed that she sends emails to secret addresses she's set up for them, which they can read when they grow up. "Before I go to bed, almost every night, I email them, like, here's your report card from today, or, oh my gosh, wasn't it the funniest thing this morning?".
"Or here's a picture of you two having breakfast, or here's you playing. The things that you're not going to frame, the things that you're not going to put pen to paper in a journal, but which they will end up seeing at one point in their life, maybe when they're 16 or when they're 18.
"I'll say, here's an email that I've been keeping for you. Here's everything and every moment that I wanted to tell you how much I love you and, like, how proud I am of you."
This follows Meghan's recent ventures, including her Netflix show, a new podcast, and the lifestyle brand As Ever. The initial range of As Ever products, featuring raspberry spread, flower sprinkles, and herbal tea, quickly sold out.
However, her Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, faced a wave of critical reviews. Additionally, the duchess debuted a new podcast series, Confessions Of A Female Founder, in April.