Experts claim Duchess uses royal status for influence despite official restrictions
Meghan Markle is facing renewed criticism following the resurfacing of her use of the “Her Royal Highness” styling—despite the agreement made with Buckingham Palace in 2020 that barred her and Prince Harry from using their HRH titles publicly after stepping back as senior royals.
The controversy reignited after Meghan sent a gift basket to friend Jamie Kern Lima, accompanied by a personal note that referred to her as “HRH The Duchess of Sussex.” The move sparked widespread backlash and fresh claims that the Duchess is using her royal ties to maintain influence—particularly in the U.S.
According to The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, the use of the styling may have been intentional or overlooked, but it raises broader questions:
"If she’s sending private gifts with the HRH title, is she also using it in emails to Netflix or Spotify executives?"
PR expert Mark Borkowski went further, calling Meghan’s continued association with the monarchy a deliberate “power game.”
“Of course it adds weight—she knows it adds weight. Her link to the Royal Family is a globally powerful brand, especially in America,” he said.
Without that link, he argued, Meghan risks being “just another B-lister in a celebrity-saturated continent.”
The incident underscores ongoing tensions between the Sussexes and the institution they left behind, with critics arguing that Meghan is leveraging the social capital of royal status, even as she and Harry continue to assert their independence from the monarchy.
While Meghan has not commented publicly on the note, the incident has only amplified scrutiny around how the couple balances their royal legacy with their current public and commercial ventures.
