Prince William Said to Want Meghan and Harry’s Royal Titles Revoked—Will He Have the Power as King?

After years of reported tensions after Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made the decision to distance themselves from the royal family, it seems the rift continues. The latest: Prince William is said to be unhappy with the fact that the Duke and Duchess have maintained their His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles. So, will he revoke the status once he’s king? Read on for everything we know. 

Prince William reportedly wants to remove Harry and Meghan’s HRH titles

Prince William aims to strike Harry and Meghan’s ability to continue using HRH next to their names, according to sources who spoke with The Daily Beast. 

During the April 28 episode of “The Jamie Kern Lima Show,” host Lima shared that Meghan had gifted her a basket of homemade strawberry sauce, and she signed the card, “With the Compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex.”

Additionally, Meghan reposted an Instagram post over the weekend in which the vice president of Ukraine addressed her as “Your Royal Highness,” the publication noted. 

According to the source, William has a much stricter approach than his father, King Charles, who would not want “to open a new front in the civil war” between the royals and Harry and Meghan, a friend shared with the outlet. 

Those close to William say he will “respect his father’s rank” for now, but that when he eventually becomes king, Harry and Meghan could be “more harshly dealt with.” 

“William has been given a great deal of influence on all areas of royal policy, but that cuts both ways and he respects his father’s rank,” a friend of William’s reportedly told The Daily Beast. “Charles has a softly-softly attitude to Harry and Meghan, and so that’s the policy for now, but the gloves will be off when he inherits the throne. If they started using the HRH titles on a regular basis, he would take them away for good.” 

“It’s no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with,” another insider added. “He thinks he has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldn’t take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king.”

Why would Prince William take issue with Harry and Meghan using HRH?

Harry and Meghan are said to have agreed not to use their HRH titles when they left their roles as working royal family members, but their rights were never formally rescinded. 

The royal website also published a statement when Harry and Meghan stepped away, stating, “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.”

“It’s outrageous,” a source close to the king reportedly told The Daily Beast. “Every time you think they can’t make it worse, they make it worse. The deal with the HRH was a way to stop them cashing in while letting them walk away with pride and dignity and trust, and now Markle is using her HRH on a website which seems to exist to sell jam.”

As for whether William will ever truly hold the ability to officially strip the Sussexes of royal designation (including after he becomes king), it’s not completely clear. 

Queen Elizabeth deemed Harry and Meghan Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their 2018 wedding day, and removing these titles would require legislative action through an act of Parliament.  

However, there currently exists a proposal called the Removal of Titles Bill, which would grant the monarch or a parliamentary committee authority to remove royal titles. This bill has not been enacted into law. 

“There were plenty of people at the time who said it was a mistake to make not using the title a mere gentleman’s agreement rather than just removing it,” a heraldry expert who knows the royal family recently told The Daily Beast. “This post may not matter in and of itself, but it raises a bigger question: What are they going to do if she simply starts using her HRH again? She probably can’t be stopped as things stand right now. The bottom line is, she is, officially, an HRH. It was never removed.”

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