The Duchess of Sussex should have only until Easter to prove her mettle as Royal Patron of the National Theatre, according to a top West End producer.
Meghan Markle, 38, was gifted the honour last January by the Queen, who had been the National’s patron for 45 years.
But in the light of ‘Megxit’, which has seen Meghan and her husband Prince Harry step away from royal duties and relocate to Canada, questions remain over her suitability for the job.
The Duchess of Sussex (pictured meeting the cast of Hamilton in London) should have only until Easter to prove her mettle as Royal Patron of the National Theatre, according to a top West End producer
Now impresario Nica Burns, who co-owns The Nimax Group, which comprises six London West End theatres including The Palace, the Apollo and the Vaudeville, has said that the Duchess should not hold the position indefinitely.
‘I think we should give Meghan until Easter to say what she thinks is possible with her patronage,’ Ms Burns told me at a fundraising gala for the King’s Head’s 50th anniversary.
‘We have to give her a chance, forget who she is and give her some space.
‘If she is not going to be doing any work with the National, then she should step down. But as she is a role model, we would rather she didn’t.’
Earlier this week, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official departure from The Firm would begin on March 31.
Nica Burns (left and right), who co-owns The Nimax Group, which comprises six London West End theatres including The Palace, the Apollo and the Vaudeville, has said that the Duchess should not hold the position indefinitely
Meghan Markle, 38, was gifted the honour last January by the Queen, who had been the National’s patron for 45 years (pictured is the National Theatre in London)
However, the artistic director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, revealed this week that Megxit would not prevent the Duchess from continuing as Royal Patron and all would be ‘business as usual’.
But Ms Burns — whose commercial successes include Chicago The Musical and Harry Potter And The Cursed Child — suggests that if and when Meghan’s U.S. commitments begin to take over, she should do the decent thing and step down.
Adds Ms Burns: ‘If her life is going to take her somewhere else, it will be hard for her to raise awareness and money for the National Theatre.
‘If her new life means she is going back to work, maybe in film, or she’ll have another child, I think the right decision would be for her to say: ‘I have a new life and I can’t continue.’ ‘
In the light of ‘Megxit’, which has seen Meghan and her husband Prince Harry step away from royal duties and relocate to Canada, questions remain over her suitability for the job
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reveal they WILL stop using ‘Sussex Royal’ brand name from this spring after being banned by the Queen
By Jack Elsom for MailOnline
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been banned from using the ‘Sussex Royal’ brand in their new life outside the monarchy, their spokeswoman confirmed tonight.
The Duke and Duchess had been in discussions with aides about applying the word ‘royal’ to their future ventures, namely a charitable organisation.
But the Queen has poured cold water on these plans, meaning the couple will have to drop the royal moniker when they quit frontline Family duties next month.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer use their Sussex Royal brand, their spokeswoman confirmed tonight
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured at Buckingham Palace in 2018 with the Queen, whom they will no longer represent after March 31
It comes as a blow to the Sussexes, who have plowed tens of thousands of pounds into fine-tuning their website to boost their profile.
Their spokeswoman said: ‘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, when it is announced this spring, will not be named Sussex Royal Foundation.
‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use “SussexRoyal” in any territory post Spring 2020.’
Trademark applications that were earmarked for the charitable entity have also been withdrawn.
These applications were filed as protective measures and are understood to have not been made for commercialisation but to protect the couple’s brand from being exploited.
Harry and Meghan have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website, sussexroyal.com, to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed. It has now been made clear that they will need to ‘re-brand’
While the Duke and Duchess plan to champion a charitable foundation, it was feared they could exploit the royal brand to secure lucrative commercial deals (Sussex Royal logo pictured)
Tonight’s statement confirmed the revelations made by the Daily Mail earlier this week that the Queen had been left with no choice but to strip her grandson and his wife from using the Sussex Royal brand.
Harry and Meghan, who have been allowed to retain their HRH titles, have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a new Sussex Royal website to complement their hugely popular Instagram feed.
They tonight updated their website to reflect the revelation they are to drop the Sussex Royal brand.
Under ‘additional details’ it now says: ‘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 couple’s decision to step down as senior working royals and pursue ‘financial independence’ put a spanner in the Sussex Royal works
‘The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to.’
They also sought to register Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a range of items and activities, including clothing, stationery, books and teaching materials.
The Sussex Royal branding this time last year, after they split their household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – known as Kensington Royal.
The Sussexes’ Instagram page, @sussexroyal, has amassed 11.2million followers – the same number of fans as William and Kate’s account.
Harry and Meghan planned to slap the moniker on their new charitable foundation, due to be launched this year with the support of Buckingham Palace.
Dozens of trademark applications were made for everything from bandanas to notebooks – although sources have always stressed that these were preventative measures to protect the trademark from others, and never intended for commercial use.
The couple also privately commissioned a new website. It went live last month to coincide with their bombshell announcement, with the introduction: ‘Welcome to the Sussex Royal community, your source for information on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.’