The Queen does not intend to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their royal titles.
However, they won’t be able to use the titles on a “day-to-day” basis after formally stepping down as working members of the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace sources said, according to the Daily Mail.
The royal titles in question include Harry and Meghan Markle’s His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles and their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles.
The Queen stripped Harry and Meghan of their royal patronages
The latest clarification comes after the Queen stripped Harry and Meghan of their royal roles and patronages.
The royal roles and patronages the Sussexes lost included Harry’s ceremonial military title of Captain-General of the Royal Marines, his presidency of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, his Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League patronages, and his patronage of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.
Meghan Markle lost her Royal National Theatre and Association of Commonwealth Universities patronages. She also lost her position as vice-president of the Commonwealth Trust.
These royal patronages are distinct from their HRH and Duke/Duchess titles.
Buckingham Palace released a statement that the Sussexes were stripped of their royal patronages because the duties and responsibilities were incompatible with the careers they were pursuing in the U.S.
The Palace viewed stripping Prince Harry and Meghan of their royal titles as “unduly punitive”
The Palace decided not to strip the Sussexes of their royal titles because it was deemed to be “unduly punitive,” sources said.
Palace insiders were also concerned that stripping Harry and Meghan of their royal titles could provoke unfavorable comparison to the Palace decision to strip Harry’s mom, Princess Diana, of her HRH title after she divorced Prince Charles.
Diana only retained her title of Princess of Wales.
“They [the Sussexes] are still the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Your Royal Highnesses, although they won’t be using the latter,” a palace source said. “That was agreed last January and nothing has changed.
“He was born Prince Harry and will always be Prince Harry. Regardless of what has happened, he will still be the grandson of the monarch, the son of a future monarch, and the brother of a future monarch. That will never change. And he will still be those things even though he has chosen to walk away.”
In another news, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was reportedly “sad and genuinely shocked” at Meghan and Prince Harry’s parting shot to Queen Elizabeth after she stripped them of their royal patronages, a source told The Sunday Times.
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly reacted to the Queen’s decision to strip them of their royal patronages, saying that “service is universal” and that they could continue to serve outside the Royal Family.
Sources told The Times that William was “very upset” because he considered the Sussexes’ response to be “petulant,” “insulting,” and “disrespectful” of the Queen.
The latest developments come after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were expecting their second child.