If Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, lost their titles, the result would be quite a change for the latter.
Although there has been talk of stripping the couple of their titles, Ingrid Seward, Editor in Chief of Majesty Magazine said not to expect it, according to the U.K. Mirror.
“”I don’t think anything will happen to the titles because, if they lose their titles, Harry is still a prince of the blood and Meghan instead of being the Duchess of Sussex, [would] be Princess Henry,” she said.
“That really would [confuse the Americans]. I think [it’s] probably best just to leave it because it looks unkind, it looks unnecessary,” she said.
Seward said that removing their titles would simply make Harry and Meghan, again, the center of attention.
“The Queen gave them the titles, let them keep them – they’re going to be ‘H and M’ anyway. I think the best thing is to leave them, ignore them, and let them get on with it – which is really what the Palace and the Royal Family are doing,” Seward continued.
Royal etiquette says a princess has to use her husband’s name if she wants that title, which for Meghan would make her Princess Henry, the proper first name of her husband.
The same rules apply to Catherine, whose formal title is in fact Princess William, although she is commonly referred to as the Princess of Wales.
A royal expert said the concept to taking away the titles Harry and Meghan enjoy has been bandied about by King Charles and Prince Willliam, according to the Mirror.
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Royal expert Tom Quinn said the king and prince “have had lengthy discussions about stripping Meghan and Harry of their royal titles, but they are terrified this would backfire and make the situation worse”.
“The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about,” Quinn explained.
“William and his father know that even without their Royal titles Meghan and Harry would carry on traveling the world as if they were royals and most people in the world will still welcome them,” Quinn said.
Last year, Bob Seely, a member of Parliament, introduced a bill to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles and explained his reasoning in an Op-Ed in the U.K. Daily Mail.
“The Duke and Duchess can be Mr and Mrs like the rest of us,” Seely wrote.
“My aim is simple: if someone doesn’t want to be Royal, that is a decision we respect – but they should not keep the titles and privileges if they trash an institution that plays an important part in our nation’s life,” he continued.
“I feel genuine pity for Harry and the life choices he has made. It can’t have been easy for him. But the couple and their supporters have a track record of attacking the Royal Family with unproven and incendiary allegations, which they then appear to deny or refuse to back up, which is indefensible,” Seely said.
Seely ultimately implored everyone to move on from Harry and Meghan — and got one last shot in them as well.
“It is time for us all to move on. I believe it is time they dropped their titles – or were made to – and lived by their own talents, if they have any to speak of,” he wrote.