A royal expert has recorded why she thinks Prince William will never strip Prince Harry of his title.
The subject of Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles has sparked controversy in recent weeks, and there has been opinions about the Prince of Wales taking them away from the couple once he becomes king.
While the former working royals are no longer supposed to apply their HRH titles for commercial reasons, Harry and Meghan still very much present themselves as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles which were gifted to them by Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day in 2018.
But she concerned that it might not be something we ever see occur, especially given the complexity of taking away titles.
She told the Mirror: “Granted, there seems to be a public appetite for stripping them of their titles, but I think it’s unlikely that William would choose to do this. It would seem, and in fact would be, quite vindictive. There is also the question of whether a monarch can indeed do this.
“Some titles could be removed on the will of the Sovereign, but the universal view is that to strip someone of their Peerage demands an act of Parliament. Harry became Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron of Kilkeel when he married in 2018.
“And it would be a brave government to venture into that field when there are, in all honesty, so many more pressing issues. King Edward VIII remained a Duke for the rest of his life, even though he lived in exile.
“William may remain estranged from his brother forever, even though this would be a very sad state of affairs. But, if he does, I think he will continue to regard Harry simply as irrelevant to his life and to this country. And I don’t think he would trouble himself with taking away either of their titles.”
Harry and Meghan’s children – Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, who turns four next week – were not given the titles of prince and princess at birth because they were not the grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch at the time.
But they earned the right in September 2022, when Charles acceded to the throne, in line with the 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V.
