Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could face the threat of being stripped of their royal titles at a royal family meeting scheduled to take place at Balmoral next week.
The future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the British royal family will be a hot topic of discussion at a royal family summit scheduled to take place at Balmoral next week, according to an insider. The issue of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s titles will also be discussed, according to the source. “The royal family will meet at Balmoral to discuss a number of different issues, but one of them will be about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” the source revealed. “They will also attend pre-arranged meetings where they discuss the current position of the family and how they can best prepare for the future.”
The insider explained that last year’s focus was on remembering Queen Elizabeth II, as it was the first time the monarch had hosted since her death, but this year’s discussions will be about moving forward without the Sussexes’ full involvement. “Last year was largely about remembering the Queen, as it was the first time the monarch had hosted the gathering since her death, but this year it will be about how best the family can move forward without the Sussexes,” they said. “Not only are Harry and Meghan’s upcoming trips to Canada on the agenda, but the titles and status of them and their children will also be discussed.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are scheduled to begin a semi-official visit to Colombia on August 15, received their titles from Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day on May 19, 2018. Prince Harry holds the official titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2015. Meghan Markle is officially known as the Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel.
According to a source, it was after the couple’s request to stop using the honorific HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) that it seemed to spark their rebellion against the Royal Family. The source said that while King Charles could easily revoke “given” titles such as Prince, removing peerages could be more complicated. “There could be a challenge if any peerages were removed, so this is something that would need to be navigated extremely carefully ,” the source said. “The Prince and HRH titles are both gifts from the monarch and can be taken away quite easily, but Harry’s Duke, Earl and Baronet titles would have to be removed by an Act of Parliament, which could cause unnecessary problems and unwanted media attention . “
The source also mentioned that if Harry loses his title of Prince, Archie and Lilibet could also lose their titles, although they could still use the Dumbarton title, with their parents simply being known as the Sussexes. “It’s a difficult thing to navigate because the King is very involved with his grandchildren ,” the source added. “There have been ongoing discussions around this, but no decision has been made yet. This is something that will hopefully be finalised in discussions between the King and other senior members of the Royal Family this summer . “