This post has been updated since it was originally posted on 1/17/23.
King Charles reportedly “refuses” to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their royal titles, even though they no longer hold their His/Her Royal Highness titles. The couple stepped down from their royal duties in January of 2020, and fans have been wondering if King Charles would ever take away their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles. Though now, even amid Endgame allegations against the royal family, it looks like the ex-royals will be keeping their royal titles. Keep reading for more information.
King Charles ‘Refuses’ To Strip Harry And Meghan Of Their Royal Titles
A source reported to The Mirror that King Charles “refuses” to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex title, which they gained in May of 2018 on their wedding day. Regardless of what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have said about the royal family in their various remarks made against them—namely, their 2020 Oprah interivew, 2021 Netflix show, and Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare—Charles “never wants to humiliate them.”
“Demoting Harry and Meghan will never happen as long as Charles is on the throne,” the source said. The King is “not a punitive man.”
Harry And Meghan Did Not—And Will Not—Renounce Their Titles
Harry and Meghan also offered insight as to why they didn't renounce their royal titles when they stepped down from their duties in 2020 on an episode of 60 Minutes. "And what difference would that make?" Harry asked Anderson Cooper in an episode in response to a question about giving up his Sussex title with his wife.
So it looks like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will forever be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whether they—or other members of the royal family—likes it or not.
Royal Fan Reactions
Many royal fans think that Harry and Meghan should be tripped of their titles, after all the negative things they've said and implied about the royal family. "Time for King Charles to step aside. If he can't make tough decisions about his own family, how can he make tough decisions for the country?" one person wrote.
Another person pointed out that it's not even up to King Charles. "The King does not have the authority to remove royal titles, it is determined by and can only be determined by an enactment of Parliament."
"At this point, it's up to Parliament as to whether or not they keep the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," another person agreed.
"If anything H&M keeping their royal titles makes them look ridiculous given all their complaints about the Royal Family and how they were treated by them," another royal fan posted.
"Parliament can, and should strip them of those titles. They’re not working royals, remember?" a final fan said.
