
Update, 2/24: Over the weekend, Jessica Mulroney spoke out about the report that she'd registered a charity for Meghan, writing: "if certain investigative journalists were to do their jobs, perhaps they would see that Shoebox Project Foundation is owned by a Mr Roy in North Carolina and has no affiliations or ties to our charity The Shoebox Project. Happy Sunday."
The Daily Mail report had claimed that Mulroney had used her nonprofit—the Shoebox Project Foundation, rather than the Shoebox Project—to register domain names like sussexglobalcharities.com, presumably to hold them until Meghan and Harry were able to take them.
Original post: The Sussexes (opens in new tab) have wasted exactly zero time moving onto Plan B when it comes to their post-royal life global brand. Some context: This week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) revealed that they will no longer use the word "royal" in their personal brand following their royal exit. The decision to drop the "royal" from the couple's well-established "Sussex Royal" brand (opens in new tab) was reportedly the result of pressure from the Queen and Harry and Meghan made it pretty damn clear (opens in new tab) that they weren't fans of the move in their newly-released statement on their spring 2020 transition plan.
On Saturday, the Daily Mail (opens in new tab) reported that Meghan's longtime best friend, stylist, host, and entrepreneur Jessica Mulroney (opens in new tab), had registered the website registered the website sussexglobalcharities.com through her own charity, the Shoebox Project Foundation, which supports vulnerable women.
While we normals didn't learn of the end of "Sussex Royal" (opens in new tab) until Friday, it's clear that Harry and Meghan knew (or at least suspected) where things were landing on the subject at least a few days earlier, since Mulroney registered the URL last Wednesday, presumably on behalf of the couple.
This isn't the first time the Sussexes have used friends (opens in new tab) to slyly register websites they know they might want to use in the future. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan's US-based business manager, Andrew Meyer, registered two websites—archefoundation.com and archefoundation.org—on October 23, 2018. For those doing the math at home, that's just eight days after Meghan revealed she was pregnant (opens in new tab) with the couple's first child. This also suggests that Harry and Meghan already had baby names (opens in new tab) picked out and maybe have even had a clue as to their then-future baby's sex, which is kind of fascinating in its own right.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
subscribe here (opens in new tab)
RELATED STORIES
Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
The 2023 Nail Trends That Are Taking Over, According to the Pros
We're going back to basics.
By Samantha Holender
-
How to Style an Oversized Sweater
Big knit energy.
By Emma Childs
-
Netflix's 'Perfect Match' Season 1: Everything We Know
What happens when contestants from 'Love Is Blind,' 'Too Hot to Handle,' and 'The Ultimatum' get together?
By Quinci LeGardye
-
Princess Kate Is Likely to Feel "Overwhelmed" by Her Responsibilities This Year, Astrologer Says
...relatable.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry Will "Be Able to Build Bridges" With Certain Members of the Royal Family in 2023, Astrologer Claims
We shall see.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Princess Kate Just Revealed Her Workout Routine Involves Trampolining With Her Kids
I love this.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry's Memoir Hasn't "Had a Profound Effect" on Princess Kate, Body Language Expert Claims
She didn't let it get to her.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Kim Kardashian Bought Princess Diana's Amethyst Cross for $200k, And Now It's an Amazing Meme
I'm sorry for laughing.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince William Adorably Reacted to Being Told He and Princess Kate Were Matching During a Recent Engagement
Cuties.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry Needed a Drink—Or Two—Following the Release of 'Spare'
Fair enough.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry Hilariously Admits to Fact-Checking 'The Crown' on 'Colbert'
LOL, love this.
By Iris Goldsztajn