MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have officially announced they will not be returning to royal life, and as a result have been stripped of their honorary titles and patronages.
Norman Baker, a member of Her Majesty’s Privy Council, said they ‘should be stripped of their HRH titles” as well, just like Harry’s mum Diana, ‘so they aren’t profiting from Royal label’.
When Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in 1981, the new Royal wife became known as Her Royal Highness.
But following her divorce from Prince Charles, her title changed to Diana, Princess of Wales.
According to the New York Times 1996 coverage of Prince Charles and Diana’s divorce settlement, the Queen had been willing to let Diana keep her title but her eldest son was “said to be adamant that she give it up.”
Diana’s demoted status therefore meant that the late Princess had to curtsy to those with the title, including her 14-year-old son Prince William – who insisted he would reinstate his mother’s title when he became King.
Norman, who is author of And What Do You Do? – What The Royal Family Don’t Want You To Know, told The Celeb Report: “This is the right decision, both for the royal family and for the couple themselves.
“It is simply not possible to straddle the divide and be sometimes in and sometimes out, depending on what you want to do at any given moment. I wish them well going forward.
And added: “But the logic of this decision means that the pair should also now lose their HRH status, as Harry’s mother did when she divorced.
“If they keep it, they will remain entitled to run up bills at public expense, and the suspicion will be that any money-making activity they embark upon will be trading on the HRH label.”
Following their 12-month review of Megxit with the Queen, Buckingham Palace put out a statement today saying the monarch was ‘saddened’ by the decision made by Harry and Meghan not to return to Royal life.
It said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.
“Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.
“The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.
“While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”
The titles Prince Harry, 36, is likely to be stripped of is Captain-General Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant, RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command.
As part of the couple’s agreement with the Queen last year, Meghan and Harry retained their His/Her Highness titles but no longer use them, and they will still be officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle & Prince Harry ‘thumbing their noses at the Queen’ by quitting royal life, says BBC’s Nicholas Witchel.
We also shared, what Meghan Markle & Prince Harry losing their titles means for their unborn baby & Archie & are they still royalty?
Plus this is how Meghan Markle kept her pregnancy a secret – from choreographed Zoom poses to limited public appearances.