In the snow-dusted streets of Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival is usually a sanctuary for independent cinema and raw, unfiltered storytelling. However, for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, their arrival at the 2026 festival last week brought with it a familiar and far less quiet storm.
While the couple were in town to celebrate the world premiere of their new documentary, Cookie Queens, it was not the film’s narrative that dominated the headlines, but rather a few choice words appearing in the opening credits.
The documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, offers a fascinating, £600 million look into the high-stakes world of Girl Scout cookie sales. It follows four ambitious young women competing to be the top seller in an industry that blends childhood innocence with surprising commercial grit.
Yet, as the credits rolled, audiences noticed that the executive producers were not simply listed as Harry and Meghan, but were formally introduced by their royal titles.
A Commercial Conflict: The Controversy Over Royal Titles
The decision to use ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ for a commercial film production has sparked a fierce backlash amongst royal observers and critics alike.
At the heart of the fury is the 2020 ‘Sandringham Agreement’, which stipulated that while the couple would retain their HRH styles, they would not use them for commercial gain after stepping back as senior working royals.
For many, seeing these titles emblazoned on a Hollywood project feels like a breach of that foundational pact. Social media was quickly flooded with accusations of ‘manipulation’ and ‘desperation’. One critic noted: ‘I thought they were banned from using royal titles for commercial purposes?’ while another was more biting, suggesting the titles should be ‘stripped, stat’ to prevent the Royal Family’s name from being brought into disrepute.
Sundance Style: Meghan Markle’s Understated Premiere Look
Despite the mounting criticism regarding the film’s credits, Meghan appeared unbothered as she took the stage at the Eccles Center Theatre. The 44-year-old Duchess opted for a look of quiet luxury, arriving on Saturday in a sophisticated navy blue coat paired with tailored black trousers and a simple cream jumper.
With her hair pulled back into a sleek, disciplined ponytail and her makeup kept fresh and bronzy, she seemed determined to let the work speak for itself.
The project is a deeply personal one for Meghan, who was a Girl Scout herself growing up in California. On stage, she spoke emotionally about the film’s ‘edgy yet relatable’ vibe, praising the young stars as ‘layered, beautiful girls’ destined for leadership.
It was a rare joint appearance for the couple, following Prince Harry’s intense week at the High Court in London, where he had been giving testimony in his ongoing privacy battle against Associated Newspapers Limited.
As the festival concludes, the debate over the Sussexes’ branding continues to simmer. For Harry and Meghan, Cookie Queens was intended to be a ‘labour of love,’ a project highlighting young female empowerment.
However, in the complex world of royal optics, even a film about cookies can become a battleground when titles are involved. Whether this move represents a definitive ‘line in the sand’ or simply a misstep in their Hollywood journey remains to be seen, but the outrage it has sparked suggests that the public’s memory of the 2020 agreement remains as sharp as ever.