Harry and Meghan’s Archewell trademark application ‘not refused’ and process ongoing

Duke and Duchess previously said they will unveil more about organisation ‘when the time is right’

Olivia Petter
Thursday 18 June 2020 04:40 EDT
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(Getty Images)

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s application to trademark their non-profit organisation has not received a final rejection, The Independent understands.

A source tells The Independent that the trademarking process remains ongoing and that “this is part of the normal back-and-forth of the trademarking process”.

The news comes after a report claimed that Meghan and Harry’s trademark application was rejected because the couple did not sign the paperwork and failed to pay the required fee.

On Thursday, The Sun reported that the application was blocked for being “too vague” and improperly completed.

In April, the couple announced plans to launch a new philanthropic company under the name of Archewell.

The Duke and Duchess have said they will announce more regarding their plans for Archewell “when the time is right”.

It is thought that a website for Archewell will comprise information on mental health, nutrition and general wellbeing.

The site could follow in the footsteps of Meghan’s defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, which she deactivated shortly after entering into a relationship with Prince Harry.

Paperwork filed in the US in February reveals that the couple’s plans could extend to multi-media and entertainment, with trademark requests for everything from motion picture films to paperclips, it was reported.

There is also the potential to publish magazines, books, podcasts and to design computer software.

However, it is not yet known when Archewell will launch.

In April, the couple told The Telegraph: “Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be."

The Duke and Duchess went on to explain the meaning behind the name Archewell, which is partly inspired by the name of their one-year-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor.

“Before Sussex Royal, came the idea of ‘Arche’ – the Greek word meaning ‘source of action’," they said.

“We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.”

The couple no longer use the Sussex Royal brand after officially stepping down as senior members of the royal family.

Their Instagram account and website, which used the name, have been closed.

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