One of the reasons that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from most of their royal responsibilities and left England is that they wanted to get away from all the media attention and tabloid drama. Ironically enough, though, the two seem to be causing more of a media stir than ever before, especially with the release of their Harry & Meghan docuseries on Netflix.
That series has already begun rocking the Royal Family due to Harry and Meghan’s willingness to dish out royal secrets to the entire world. And the release of this series once again has people asking whether King Charles is going to strip them of their royal titles (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex), especially since they have no interest in being working royals or living in England.
However, Charles has some surprising reasons why he can’t strip those titles. What are the reasons, and how is this new title controversy connected to older drama? Keep reading to find out!
The original title controversy over Harry and Meghan’s children
The controversy over royal titles didn’t start with Harry and Meghan. When the two got married, Queen Elizabeth did not hesitate to proclaim them as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, things got a bit dicier when Harry and Meghan decided to have children.
As reported by People, Harry and Meghan’s children could have been given courtesy titles upon their birth. For example, firstborn Archie’s title could have been Earl of Dumbarton. But the children did not get these titles, and the reason given for this has changed over time.
Initially, Harry and Meghan announced their children would not be using royal titles, and Archie would simply be known as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. This seemed in line with the independent streak in Harry and Meghan, but the couple later revealed in their infamous Oprah interview that it was actually the Royal Family that didn’t want to give Archie a title, and this upset Meghan because no title meant no royal security detail.
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Sibling rivalry over titles
The newer controversy over titles begins with a very sobering event: the death of Queen Elizabeth. Since the Royal Family is all about hierarchy, the death of the royal at the top meant that many other family members got title changes. The most obvious of these is that Prince Charles became the King of England.
Upon Elizabeth’s death, William and Kate gained new titles as well, officially becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales. Because of this, many expected Harry and Meghan to get new titles as well. However, that did not happen, and the two remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
While the Royal Family made no official announcements about why this rebellious couple was given the snub, many assumed that it was because King Charles was still angry at the duo for “Megxit” and much of the drama that came afterward. And due to the Harry & Meghan docuseries on Netflix, the harshest critics of the couple felt they never got new royal titles because Charles was getting ready to strip them altogether!
Meghan Markle flip-flops on titles
Making all of this more confusing is Meghan Markle, whose unofficial royal title may as well be “the Queen of controversy.” Back when she interviewed with Oprah, Meghan claimed that titles weren’t important to her. “I’ve been clear on who I am, independent of all that stuff,” she said. “And the most significant title I’ll ever have is mom. I know that.”
However, according to Express, Meghan chatted with Beatrice and Eugenie and ended up having a change of heart regarding this matter. Because titles can help royals move in circles they otherwise couldn’t, Meghan belatedly realized that titles are much more important to both her and her children.
Specifically, Meghan realized that she and Harry retaining their own titles was the key to her children Archie and Lilibet hopefully getting their own titles. Therefore, Harry and Meghan may have been nervous at the prospect that King Charles could strip their titles. Fortunately for the couple, Charles is quite unlikely to do so.
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The primary reasons Charles won’t strip royal titles
Now, King Charles is in an interesting position. He has the most power out of any royal, and he could quite easily strip both Harry and Meghan of their titles at any point. However, a royal expert confided to Page Six that Charles is unlikely to do so because “Stripping their title is not something the King would likely ever consider, mostly because it would be too petty and punitive,” the expert said. Furthermore, “It would only lead to the Sussexes claiming that it was a retaliatory action and proof they were never wanted in the royal family.”
In other words, Charles actually swinging his weight around in this way would verify the very accusations that Harry and Meghan have made that they (especially Meghan) were never given the courtesy and consideration of other royals such as Prince William.
And even if Charles ignored this and stripped Harry and Meghan of their titles, it would likely generate more sympathy for the couple and more viewers for Harry & Meghan. Therefore, retaliation on Charles’ part might end up with more people finding out about the dirty royal laundry Harry and Meghan are airing than ever before, which means Charles is likely to stay his hand…for the moment, at least.