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Does King Charles III have plans to remove Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles? Amid speculation that the head of the British monarchy is having “lengthy discussions” to withdraw their honorifics with his heir-to-the-throne and eldest son, Prince William, a new report has claimed that stripping the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their peerages could result in the 42-year-old being referred to by a far superior rank: Princess.
According to a royal expert, Meghan would simply be referenced as ‘Princess Henry’ should King Charles renounce their epithets. Though the denomination sounds strange in theory given she’s no longer a working member of the royal family, the reason for her being dubbed ‘Princess Henry’ is quite straightforward and stems from a traditional practice.
Legally, Meghan is already entitled to use ‘Princess Henry’ as an informal custom insists a princess must take the title alongside her husband’s name. As Meghan became a princess upon her marriage to Prince Harry, whose full name is Henry Charles Albert David, her title could’ve been styled as ‘Princess Henry’ from the outset, despite that rank being quite uncommon.
The rumours surrounding Meghan and Prince Harry’s title change followed their recent trip to Nigeria. The three-day tour reportedly “enraged” the royal family, allegedly prompting the former and current Prince of Wales to consider disavowing usage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex monikers. Given the rift (and recent removal from the official royal website) between the California-based couples and their estranged family, experts suggest that the manoeuvre will be unlikely, especially given King Charles’ recent health struggles.
“I don’t think anything will happen to the titles because, if they lose their titles, Harry is still a prince of the blood and Meghan instead of being the Duchess of Sussex, [would] be Princess Henry,” a royal expert and biographer told tabloids. “That really would [confuse the Americans],” they continued before adding, “I think [it’s] probably best just to leave it because it looks unkind, it looks unnecessary”.
Meanwhile, in Montecito, Meghan and Prince Harry have reportedly considered a “big move” of their own involving their two toddlers, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2. Plus with Meghan adding her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, a new podcast and two original Netflix series to her existing portfolio, it appears that Meghan might be angling for a different title altogether: Founder and CEO.
