Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reportedly moved to trademark their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – a decision that has triggered considerable backlash.
Critics have highlighted an apparent contradiction between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s staunch defense of their young children’s privacy and their use of their birthdates and titles to market lifestyle products.
Meghan recently drew inspiration from her children for her latest As Ever collection, launching two $64 candles.
One is No. 506 representing “Prince Archie of Sussex’s birthdate”, while No. 604 represents “Princess Lilibet of Sussex’s birthdate”.
Archie was born on May 6, 2019, and his younger sister Lilibet was born on June 4, 2021.
According to Page Six, the couple secured the names Archie and Lilibet for email addresses, social media handles, and domain names.
While some label the moves as the commercialization of their children, others argue that trademarking their names serves as a protective measure to prevent them from being used for “nefarious purposes”.
Weighing in on the matter, PR expert Chad Teixeira exclusively told Express.co.uk: “This is exactly the kind of story that keeps the Meghan and Harry debate alive because it plays straight into that long-running accusation of ‘you can’t have it both ways’.”
He continued: “Meghan has been accused of hypocrisy before, and this is where that angle really starts to land because it plays straight into a narrative that’s already there. She’s been very clear about wanting privacy for her children, and even to the extent of leaving the Royal Family for a ‘quieter’ life, so anything that even loosely links them to something so commercial and in the public eye is always going to raise questions.”
“There is certainly a difference between protecting names behind the scenes and actively putting your family out there. What people latch onto is the contradiction, and it feels like what Meghan was so adamant about during her exit six years ago is no longer the hard truth.”
He claimed the “hypocrisy is not going to cause long-term damage to her reputation or her Sussex and As Ever brands, but it does keep that ‘say one thing, do another’ narrative in circulation”.
The expert concluded: “From a PR point of view, it’s less about the action itself and more about how easily it fits a story critics are already keen to tell, and with this new move, Meghan is just feeding the criticism again and again.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
