Prince Harry and Meghan Meghan's Sussex Royal trademark plans have been blocked

The Sussexes have hit a bit of a bump in the road

Earlier this month Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their plans to ‘step back’ as senior royals in an unprecedented move.

‘After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,’ the couple wrote on their Instagram page. ‘We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

‘We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.‘

The couple also expressed their desire to become ‘financially independent’.

However, after over a week of discussions between senior royals, it was not possible for the couple to continue royal duties in line with their other wishes and, as non-working royals, they will no longer use their HRH titles from spring 2020.

The Queen expressed her support for the couple in a statement, saying the royal family respected their wishes to ‘create a new life as a young family.’ She added that she was ‘particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.’

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

Following the launch of their brand new Sussex Royal website, the world is now waiting to hear what the Sussexes next career moves will be.

The couple filed the trademark application for their Sussex Royal brand last year, which covers clothing, campaign materials and other merchandise, sparking speculation that they could even launch their own fashion line.

However, these plans have now hit something of a bump in the road.

The World Trademark Review has reported that a doctor in Victoria, Australia, Benjamin Worcester, filed a notice of threatened opposition on the 21st of January.

This extends the opposition period, which was due to end on the 20th February, until the 20th March 2020.

It’s not clear why Worcester has challenged the application, however, if a detailed formal complaint is lodged, it could be the start of a major legal battle for the Sussexes and their branding.

Crikey, 2020 is proving to be a dramatic one for the royals, isn’t it?