Entertainment

Harry and Meghan are accused of ‘hijacking the name Sussex for their website’ – as Lady Colin Campbell reveals she’s bought domain names for other Sussex-related sites

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of ‘hijacking’ the Sussex name for their website by Lady Colin Campbell. 

Lady Campbell, who lives in a castle in Goring, West Sussex, has revealed that she has bought the domain names for other Sussex-related sites as she blasted the couple for launching a new website which ‘has nothing to do with the county’.

The former I’m A Celebrity star has acquired the domain names dukeandduchessofsussex.co.uk and officialsussex.com, which she said she would give the couple if they stop using Sussex.com.


It comes after the Duke and Duchess launched Sussex.com this week in what has been branded ‘a betrayal’ of their agreement with the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

Following the so-called ‘Sandringham summit’ in 2020, the couple agreed to step back from royal duties and stop using their HRH titles for business purposes or trade off their royal connections.

They were also forced to put on ice their existing website, Sussexroyal.com, which had been launched weeks earlier without any warning and effectively contained their ‘manifesto’ for a new life half-in, half-out of the Royal Family. 

Wading into the Sussex.com row, Lady Campbell, 74, said: ‘[It] is not only an imposition to the people of Sussex but is also an impertinence, in that their website has nothing to do with the county, but the domain name gives the misleading impression that it does.’


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of hijacking the Sussex name for their website by Lady Colin Campbell

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of hijacking the Sussex name for their website by Lady Colin Campbell

The former I'm A Celebrity star has bought some other Sussex-related website domain names

The former I’m A Celebrity star has bought some other Sussex-related website domain names

Meghan's coat of arms issued in 2018 is seen above the couple's names on Sussex.com

Meghan’s coat of arms issued in 2018 is seen above the couple’s names on Sussex.com

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal crest features prominently on the new Sussex.com website and could cause tensions as a result

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal crest features prominently on the new Sussex.com website and could cause tensions as a result


The royal biographer said she was ‘bemused’ by the couple’s ‘hijacking of the county’s name for their website’.

She said: ‘The geographic assignation of their title might share a name with the county, but they are not representatives of the county, nor do many of its residents share their values.

‘In fact, many deplore what they represent, and it would surely have been more appropriate for them to have had a domain name along the lines of dukeandduchessofsussex.com’

She says she will give them the domain name she has registered if the couple desist from using Sussex.com.


The websites feature photos of Castle Goring – her sprawling 18th-century estate in West Sussex – which is hired out as a film location as well as a venue for weddings and private functions.

Lady Campbell – who was born Georgie Ziadie – and has her title thanks to a short-lived marriage to the Duke of Argyll’s younger son, Lord Colin Campbell, in 1974.

A row has erupted this week over the Duke and Duchess’s decision to replace their Archewell website – the umbrella name for all their philanthropic and business endeavours – with ‘Sussex.com’.

The new homepage for ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess went live on Monday evening.


Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September 2023. The photograph now appears on the Home page of sussex.com

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September 2023. The photograph now appears on the Home page of sussex.com

Meghan and Harry attend the Invictus Games One Year To Go Event on February 14

Meghan and Harry attend the Invictus Games One Year To Go Event on February 14 

Harry tried out one of the competitors' sit-skis and appears to be enjoying himself while being pushed down the slope by his instructor

Harry tried out one of the competitors’ sit-skis and appears to be enjoying himself while being pushed down the slope by his instructor  

A filming crew was spotted joining the Sussexes as they arrived for a day of sit-skiing

A filming crew was spotted joining the Sussexes as they arrived for a day of sit-skiing


Their 'About' page reads: 'The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy'

Their ‘About’ page reads: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex is shaping the future through business and philanthropy’

The Sussex.com description of Prince Harry

How the website describes Meghan

The Sussex.com website contains flowery descriptions of the Duke and Duchess

It features Meghan’s coat of arms and glowing biographies for the couple, as well as the latest news about the pair.

Many close to the royal household believe it is a flagrant breach of the supposedly cast-iron assurances Harry and Meghan gave the late Queen when they acrimoniously quit as working royals in 2020, and comes perilously close to using their royal status for commercial gain.


After stepping back from royal duties and having their HRH titles removed, the Sussexes have traded under their new guise of Archewell.

Harry and Meghan bought their Sussex.com website domain name from a British-born businessman who is believed to be very happy with the fee he received.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched their controversial website as part of a royal rebrand after purchasing the domain name for an undisclosed fee from tech entrepreneur Neil Agate.

Mr Agate, who is from Sussex but lives in the US, created the name in 1995 and had held onto it for almost 30 years.


Harry and Meghan are understood to have used a broker who did not reveal the Sussexes’ identities when they purchased the domain name without arguing the price.

Yesterday, it was reported that Prince Harry – who quit as a senior royal in 2020 – would be willing to return to a temporary royal role in support of his father during his battle with cancer.

The duke, who made a transatlantic dash to see King Charles for around 30 minutes on February 6, reportedly told friends he would return to Britain to help with royal duties while his father undergoes treatment. 

But Buckingham Palace appears to have ruled this out, with palace sources claiming there is ‘no way back’ for the duke.


Archewell has been contacted for comment. 

Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
247

Related posts

Kylie Jenner quickly deletes pro-Israel post after receiving backlash amid Hamas attack

BBC Brk News

Blac Chyna lands first fashion deal since body transformation

BBC Brk News

Kate Middleton and King Charles met privately for lunch one day before her cancer announcement: report

BBC Brk News

Leave a Comment