Кралски работи и клюки - февруари 2020

From Sussex Royal to Vancouver Commoner Ltd
Let’s hope the Harry and Megs rebrand works out better than Jif becoming Cif or Prince turning himself into a squiggle
ROBERT CRAMPTON
Saturday February 22 2020, 12.01am, The Times

So it’s curtains for the Sussex Royal brand, one of the shortest and least successful marketing ventures I can recall. Not as disastrous as the infamous Hoover free flights fiasco but getting there, when you consider the loss of goodwill the whole imbroglio has cost Harry and Meghan. From nation’s sweethearts and standard bearers for a 21st-century hip ’n’ happenin’ regal grooviness at their wedding in May 2018, to tawdry exiles less than two years later, stripped of all HRH privileges, taking the ubiquitous private jet to lecture JP Morgan execs in South Beach. The subject? Don’t Make The Same Mistake We Did: How To Avoid Getting Ruthlessly Owned By A Sweet 93-year-old Great Grandma In A Big Hat.

I wonder how the rebranding brainstorming sessions over on Vancouver Island are going. Meghan, reportedly, has now moved on from her initial denial phase of grief following the Queen’s decision this week that all the nice new headed notepaper has to be turned into one very considerable CO2 emission up the non-Sussex, non-royal chimney. The duchess had previously told friends she would defy the instruction and continue using the moniker for the couple’s website, charitable foundation and, um, pencils.

Now it seems she has caved in. I picture Meghan sitting there sulking and Harry bounding in all puppyish and suggesting in his adorably bright yet dim way “I’ve got it! We can always call it ‘Vancouver, er, Commoner’ instead. Or how about ‘Toronto (Sort Of) Royal’? The brackets could look quite funky, yeah? What do you reckon, Megs?” “I reckon you should go and play with Archie while I think of a way to take your granny to court,” Meghan says icily.
………
So perhaps Meghan actually had a point and there never was anything to stop her and Harry sticking with the use of “royal”? Apart from the great big obstacle that the boss had told them they couldn’t. But lots of organisations that have a far weaker connection with Firm Windsor than the guy sixth in line to the throne make merry use of the word. Royal Doulton? The Royal Shakespeare Company? The Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League? Numerous curry houses on every high street? The Palace can’t go after all of them, surely? Maybe Meghan could have toughed it out.

Машинен превод от английски на български.

Our version of events: Where Harry and Meghan's statement differs from the Palace line
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hint at their disappointment over elements of the agreement with the Queen

By
Hannah Furness,
ARTS CORRESPONDENT
22 February 2020 • 12:17pm
Premium

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have laid out the details of their behind-the-scenes negotiations with the palace in a long online statement.

Published on Feb 21, they disclose they had "hoped to be allowed to share these details with you sooner (to mitigate any confusion and subsequent misreporting)".

They added: "But the facts below should help provide some clarification around this transition and the steps for the future."

On the face of it, there is little material difference.

But while Buckingham Palace sets out the facts of what has been agreed, the Sussexes hint at their disappointment over some elements, including what they perceive to be a difference in their treatment and that of other members of the Royal family.

Here, we compare what they said with what the palace has said.

The split
PALACE: The Spring 2020 transition will take effect on 31 March. As there is no precedent for this new model of working and eventual financial independence, the Royal Family and The Sussexes have agreed to an initial 12-month review to ensure the arrangement works for all parties.

SUSSEX: It is agreed that the commencement of the revised role of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take effect Spring 2020 and undergo a 12 month review.

The reason for leaving  
QUEEN: Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.

SUSSEX: The Royal Family respect and understand the wish of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to live a more independent life as a family, by removing the supposed ‘public interest’ justification for media intrusion into their lives. They remain a valued part of Her Majesty’s family.  

Funding
PALACE: As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty.

SUSSEX: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become privately funded members of The Royal Family with permission to earn their own income and the ability to pursue their own private charitable interests. The preference of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was to continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant.

While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place. Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.  

HRH titles
PALACE: The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.

SUSSEX: 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. 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.

Still royal
PALACE: As the grandson of Her Majesty and second son of The Prince of Wales, Prince Harry remains sixth in the line of succession, and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s status in the Order of Precedence is unchanged.

SUSSEX: As the grandson of Her Majesty and second son of The Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex remains sixth in line to the throne of The British Monarchy and the Order of Precedence is unchanged.

Patronages
PALACE: With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations.

SUSSEX: It was agreed that The Duke and Duchess will no longer be able to formally carry out ‘official duties’ for The Queen or represent The Commonwealth, but they will, however, be allowed to maintain their patronages (including those that are classified as ‘royal’ patronages).

Security
PALACE: Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly-funded security.

SUSSEX: It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son.  This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years. Neither have disclosed how this security will be paid.

Military
PALACE: In relation to the military, The Duke of Sussex will retain the ranks of Major, Lieutenant Commander, and Squadron Leader, however, during this 12-month period The Duke’s honorary military positions will not be used.  No new appointments will be made to fill these roles before the 12-month review of the new arrangements is completed. The Duke will not perform any official duties associated with these roles. The Duke’s involvement with Invictus will continue, and he remains dedicated to supporting the military and mental health causes through his wider private work.

SUSSEX: In relation to the military, The Duke of Sussex will retain the rank of Major, and honorary ranks of Lieutenant Commander, and Squadron Leader. During this 12-month period of review, The Duke’s official military appointments will not be used as they are in the gift of the Sovereign. No new appointments will be made to fill these roles before the 12-month review of the new arrangements is completed. While per the agreement, The Duke will not perform any official duties associated with these roles, given his dedication to the military community and ten years of service he will of course continue his unwavering support to the military community in a non-official capacity. As founder of the Invictus Games, The Duke will proudly continue supporting the military community around the world through the Invictus Games Foundation and The Endeavour Fund.

Staff redundancies
PALACE: Due to the fact that The Duke and Duchess will not be undertaking official engagements in support of The Queen, which are funded by the Sovereign Grant, an office at Buckingham Palace was no longer needed. From 1 April, The Duke and Duchess will continue to be represented through their UK foundation team.  

SUSSEX: Based on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s desire to have a reduced role as members of The Royal Family, it was decided in January that their Institutional Office would have to be closed, given the primary funding mechanism for this official office at Buckingham Palace is from HRH The Prince of Wales. The Duke and Duchess shared this news with their team personally in January once they knew of the decision, and have worked closely with their staff to ensure a smooth transition for each of them.

Over the last month and a half, The Duke and Duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been a saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team.

"Sussex Royal" branding
PALACE: As The Duke and Duchess are stepping back as senior Members of the Royal Family, and will work towards financial independence, use of the word ‘Royal’, in this context, needed to be reviewed. Discussions are still ongoing, however, a change will be announced alongside the launch of their new non-profit organisation.  

SUSSEX: As The Duke and Duchess will no longer be considered full-time working Members of The Royal Family, it was agreed that use of the word ‘Royal’ would need to be reviewed as it pertains to organisations associated with them in this new regard. While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.

Trademark
PALACE: Therefore the trademark applications that were filed as protective measures, acting on advice from and following the same model for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed.

SUSSEX: While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal’, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal.’

What comes next
PALACE: The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation.

SUSSEX:  As shared in early January on this website, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not plan to start a ‘foundation’, but rather intend to develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally. The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to.

Prince Harry and Meghan's frustrations with palace laid bare after they drop Sussex Royal trademark claim
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex seek to clarify their position after abandoning plans to use the name from Spring 2020

By
Hannah Furness,
ROYAL CORRESPONDENT
22 February 2020 • 8:47am
Premium

The Duke and Duchess have issued an extraordinary statement "clarifying" their own version of events as they leave the Royal Family, as they lay bare their frustrations at negotiations with the palace.

The Sussexes, who have now dropped their attempts to trademark the name “Sussex Royal”, published a series of claims on their own website, elaborating on an agreement outlined by Buckingham Palace just days earlier.

Saying their “preference” had been to “continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity", they appeared to complain they had been treated differently to other members of the family and hinted at their regret they had not received all the concessions they had hoped for.

The website update came just hours after a Buckingham Palace statement which confirmed once and for all that they would be abandoning their attempts to work under the name “Sussex Royal”.

The palace in turn had been responding to briefings in the US tabloid media about the Duke and Duchess's alleged frustrations.

In the latest in a series of disclosures, which appear to set Prince Harry and Meghan in public opposition to the rest of their family, the Sussexes referenced their ongoing tensions with the media, said they would require security because of the Duke’s military service and the “Duchess’ own independent profile”, and insisted that the Monarchy and Cabinet Office had no jurisdiction over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas.

The facts of the statement, published late on Friday night and running to more than 1,100 words, do not deviate drastically from those offered by Buckingham Palace earlier this week, but place the Sussexes front and centre as “ a valued part of Her Majesty’s family”.

The Duke and Duchess claimed neither the Queen nor the cabinet office have “any jurisdiction” over the issue, as they nevertheless confirm they are dropping their attempt to trademark their name “Sussex Royal”.

“While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020,” they said.

The couple, who now appear to have been in an ongoing battle with the palace over the terms of their departure from the Royal Family on March 31st, set out their version of events on their own website, sussexroyal.com.

“We had hoped to be allowed to share these details with you sooner (to mitigate any confusion and subsequent misreporting), but the facts below should help provide some clarification around this transition and the steps for the future,” they said.

“The Royal Family respect and understand the wish of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to live a more independent life as a family, by removing the supposed ‘public interest’ justification for media intrusion into their lives. They remain a valued part of Her Majesty’s family.

“The preference of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was to continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant.”

Disclosing their unhappiness at what they perceive to be different treatment, the statement continued: “While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place.

“Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.”

On the difficult topic of security, which the palace generally refuses to comment on for safety reasons, they said: “It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son.

"This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years.”

Confirming they are closing their London office, the couple said they had been “have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been a saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team”.

They have worked closely with their staff who will be redundant as of April 1 “to ensure a smooth transition for each of them”, they said.

Contradicting initial plans , which saw them register “Sussex Royal: The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” at Companies House, the Sussexes will now instead “develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally”.

“The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to,” they said. Addressing fans directly, and imploring them to use their personal website “as the source for factual information”, they said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex eagerly await the opportunity to share more with you and greatly appreciate your support!”

Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace had confirmed that the Duke and Duchess would be dropping their claim to use Sussex Royal. It is understood that the legalities had already been carefully considered within the household.

Legal experts said it would have been “arguably highly deceptive” to have a trademarked name that suggests royal endorsement if the Duke and Duchess are no longer working members of the family.

Christina Michalos QC said: “The UK trade marks act prevents registration of royal emblems and words that wrongly give the impression of Royal Patronage or authorisation.

“The palace could certainly stop a registration of Sussex Royal in the UK on this basis.

"The law in other countries will be different but most countries have laws that prevent registration of trade marks that are deceptive or mislead the public."

She added: "If they are set on using Sussex Royal as a brand, I suspect it would be difficult to stop completely outside of the UK.

"You would hope that if the Queen indicated that she was opposed to the use of the Sussex Royal name as a commercial tool, that two people who until very recently were themselves carrying out public duties on her behalf would comply out of respect for the Crown.

"However, legal entitlement and doing the right thing don't always go hand in hand."

Машинен превод от английски на български.