Princess Kate and Prince William's new plan has left Meghan Markle "shocked" amid the "turf battle" between the royals, according to a source.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have signed and submitted an official document to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, in preparation for the official launch of their Royal Foundation charity in the US.
Kate and William, both 42, included “healthcare services relating to mental health” in their trademark application.
The couple will now be in direct competition with the Archewell Foundation, founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they moved to the US in 2020.
Princess Kate and Prince William's new plan leaves Meghan Markle 'shocked' amid 'turf battle'PAInsiders have suggested this could lead to a "Stateside turf war" between the Waleses and the Sussexes.
A source told OK!: “Meghan was quite shocked when she found out that Kate and William plan to do more work in America after trademarking their foundation’s brand with authorities.
“Although they have made a couple of trips to the US, it’s not really part of their territory and now Meghan feels they could be moving in on her turf.”
Princess Kate and Prince William submitted their trademark application in May last year.
Prince William and Princess Kate's Royal Foundation is very successfulPAIt included several services under the Foundation umbrella, including charitable fundraising, education and “Healthcare services relating to mental health”.
The Foundation first submitted a trademark application in 2012, when Prince Harry was also involved as a working royal.
However, the application was cancelled in 2019, one year before the Duke of Sussex moved to California.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation's mission is to “show up, do good”, according to its website.
Harry and Meghan live in Montecito, California in the USGettyLATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Meghan and Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020GettyIt includes initiatives like The Welcome Project, which supports women-led programmes to help refugees from Afghanistan settle in the US.
The insider continued: “Kate and William want their mental health foundation to be a worldwide brand and know they could do a lot of work in America - this is where Kate’s passions lie.
“For Meghan, it just feels like another blow, as Harry is making more of a life for himself in America and doing big events without her, like the one he did in New York last week.
“And she already knows how popular Kate and William are in the US and with their own Hollywood popularity seemingly dwindling, she doesn’t feel comfortable with them making any trips across the pond right now because they will no doubt be a huge fanfare.”