Meghan Markle has defended the “talented team” behind her new website following a spate of criticism.
The Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, launched their new website earlier this week.
Their previous Archewell site now automatically redirects to “Sussex.com”, which consistently refers to the couple by their official royal titles.
A picture of the couple dominates the main web page, overlaid with the text: “The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke & Duchess of Sussex”.
But a source told the Daily Mail that the couple could have “real trouble with the use of Sussex”, adding: “It is a royal title and if there is any hint of commercialism about this it will be shut down.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Duchess praised the “attention to detail” and “creativity and care” of the designers at Article, the firm which helped launch the site.
“There is a reason I have worked with Ryan and the talented team at Article for a decade: their attention to detail, their creativity and care, and the thoughtful approach to design as well as to the user experience,” she said.
“They’re not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. They’re a very special company. Plus they’re Canadian, so I’m a fan.”
In individual biographies of the couple on the new website, Harry is highlighted as a “humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate, and environmental campaigner”.
Meghan is described as a “feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity” who has been named “one of the most influential women in the world” across a series of rankings.
The new website links to the couple’s non-profit organisation the Archewell Foundation and their production company Archewell Productions.
On Tuesday, the Duchess announced a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media after parting ways with Spotify last year.
The company confirmed it had signed a deal with Meghan Markle for a new podcast series and to distribute her previous Spotify series, Archetypes, on all podcast platforms.
It comes a year after the Duke and Duchess parted ways with Spotify by mutual consent. The couple produced one 13-episode series for the platform after signing a £15.8m deal in 2020.
Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – flew to the UK last week to meet with the King following his cancer diagnosis.
