On Wednesday January 8, 2020 in a shocking announcement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their intention to withdraw from real duties and "move to a new working model" by becoming "financially independent" thanks also to their "Sussex Royal" brand.
The famous couple in fact filed on 21 June 2019 (with publication of 20 December 2019) the trademark application in the UK to distinguish a series of products and services belonging to classes 16 "printed", 25 "clothing", 35 "advertising", 36 "financial services, charity fundraising", 41 "education", 45 "social care services".
On January 9, 2020 a third party achieved 'Sussex Royal' in the European Union by filing the trademark in front of the EUIPO (Euroepan Union Intellectual Property Office) to contradistinguish different products belonging to classes 3 "perfumery", 14 "watches", 18 "sports bags", 28 "sports and games", 32 "beers", 33 "spirits". The applicant appears to be based in Italy, although the exact ownership is not yet known.
For the royal businessmen the prospect of sharp legal action for the ownership of the trademark is real.