Meghan Markle breaks her silence to defend the new Sussex.com site after criticism of the rebrand

The Duchess of Sussex has broken her silence to defend the new Sussex.com site after a wave of criticism.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'provocative' decision to relaunch their Archewell website, the umbrella name for all their philanthropic and business endeavors, with 'Sussex.com' had sparked accusations that they are trying to be 'more royal' .

Royal insiders told MailOnline that the website, created by Canadian agency Article, made 'no sense' and created a 'blurred line between past and present', as the couple were told. Unpleasant dropped their 'Sussex' title in 2020 after quitting as working royals.

In response to the criticism, Meghan said in a statement: 'There's a reason I've 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 both design and design . the user experience.

'It's not just designers; they are collaborators who elevate your ideas into visual identities. It is a very special company. Plus, they're Canadian, so I'm a fan.”

It comes as Meghan today announced a new podcast deal with female-founded US podcast network Lemonada Media, which aims to 'make life suck less' with shows around sex, grief and LGBTQ issues.

Prince Harry and Meghan unveiled their new website Sussex.com earlier this week, which modestly emphasizes that the couple is “shaping the future through business and philanthropy.”

The website is managed by 'The Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex' and is a 'one-stop shop' for all their activities.

But there is no reference to their links to the royal family in their biographies – with Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, described as a 'humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmentalist'.

Sussex.com is minimalist in design and features a large photo of the couple on the homepage.

It contains links to the Archewell Foundation and Archewell Productions, as well as the controversial website sussexroyal.com which was launched in 2020 to mark their decision to step back as working royals.

It is believed that the Duke and Duchess will use the site to share their personal and official updates and keep people informed via the 'News' section.

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

'This includes: the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, companies and organizations that receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.'

There is also a page dedicated to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with details of their backgrounds and achievements.

Prince Harry's biography references his 10 years serving in the British Armed Forces and as the New York Times bestselling author of Spare, “a memoir of his life told with compassion, vulnerability and unflinching honesty.”

Meghan's biography references her advocacy work, her career in the entertainment industry as the lead role in the TV series “Suits” and as a NY Times bestselling author of children's books “The Bench” and “Together: Our Community Kitchen.”

Their bios include the following sentence: “They are committed to their mission: Show Up, Do Good. They believe that charity work should not simply be 'a handout, but rather a helping hand'.

The Archewell Foundation was established by the Duke and Duchess to 'build meaningful initiatives' and 'drive long-term change'.

Founded in 2020, Archewell Productions is “dedicated to illuminating thought-provoking and diverse stories that highlight our common humanity and celebrate community.”

Sources warned that using their Sussex title and royal coat of arms for apparent commercial purposes could provoke complaints from Buckingham Palace.

Experts pointed out that the launch of the website comes just a week after it was announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer, and that Kate Middleton continues her recovery at home after abdominal surgery.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'The Sussexes have a remarkable sense of timing.

'The question is not whether it is their right to launch a new website Sussexes.com with their coat of arms and their royal titles, but the extraordinary timing.

'Just a week ago, Harry was visiting his father who, as we know, is battling cancer. The royal family is therefore in the news a lot now that the Princess of Wales is recovering from what appears to be a serious illness.

“As members of the Royal Family who have stepped down from their royal duties, it would certainly be more sensitive and sensible to leave their rebranding until later in the year.

“What's bizarre about this is that even though that's probably the way the world perceives it, they apparently can't see that this is spectacularly bad timing.”

Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – flew to Britain last Tuesday to meet his father after his diagnosis.

He made the visit without Meghan and their children less than 24 hours after Buckingham Palace made the announcement about Charles' health to the nation.

But there was no meeting with his brother, the Prince of Wales, after Harry spent about 45 minutes at Clarence House to see Charles.

Speaking about how the website says the couple are 'shaping the future through business and philanthropy', Mr Fitzwilliams added: 'We're waiting for some new ideas that don't involve monetising their royal connections for profit, as they so brazenly did on Oprah and in Harry's memoir Spare.

'It is worth bearing in mind that the Invictus Games, as well as Harry's WellChild and Sentebale charity activities, were all created by Harry before their marriage.

He also told how the website links back to the SussexRoyal.com domain – despite the couple being told to drop their 'Sussex Royal' label in 2020 after deciding to step down as working royals.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that Queen Elizabeth II and senior officials agreed that it was no longer tenable for the couple to keep the word “royal” in their branding.

Harry and Meghan first started using the Sussex Royal brand name in 2019 after splitting their household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – known as Kensington Royal.