Buckingham Palace recently announced an important development regarding the British royal family. King Charles has reportedly made changes to the titles and roles of some family members, including Prince Harry. As you may recall, Harry and his wife Meghan stepped down from senior royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. Since then, their relationship with the royal family has become increasingly strained. However, this latest move by King Charles appears to be a notable escalation of ongoing tensions within the family.
According to reports, the royal family’s official website has been updated to reflect changes to how Harry and Meghan will be referred to. Previously, as a member of the royal family, Harry held the title His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, commonly known as Prince Harry. However, it appears that Charles has now removed the “His Royal Highness” prefix, and the website now refers to Harry simply as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
The removal of the HRH title is significant, as it concerns Harry’s status and role within the royal family. Traditionally, only working royals close to the throne receive their HRH titles. By taking this step, Charles is essentially signaling that Harry is no longer considered a working member of the royal family on an official level.
Interestingly, Meghan still retains her title as Duchess of Sussex, indicating that Charles’ decision specifically targets Harry’s position rather than Meghan’s as a royal by marriage. Some royal commentators view the move as a significant power play by Charles, asserting his authority as future king. This indicates that he does not want Harry and Meghan to benefit financially or representatively from their previous senior royal status while they have chosen to live independent lives abroad.
This change has major symbolic importance, but it can also have practical consequences. Without the HRH title, Harry could potentially lose the financial support he received from the Sovereign Grant, which helps fund the activities of working royals. Additionally, some reports suggest Harry could lose his taxpayer-funded security protection in the UK as a result of this demotion.
In response to the news, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan expressed respect for King Charles’ decision regarding their titles. However, the response seems somewhat lukewarm, hinting at possible private unrest behind the scenes. It remains to be seen how Harry and Meghan will publicly approach the removal of his HRH title, if they choose to do so.
As if stripping Harry of his HRH title wasn’t enough of a power move, rumors are now swirling suggesting that Charles could go even further by considering removing Harry and Meghan’s Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles. Losing their royal duchy titles would be a greater symbolic blow, similar to being completely excluded and sidelined from official royal life. It is important to note that these rumors have not been confirmed and that removing the titles of Duke and Duchess would represent an extremely dramatic escalation. However, it does indicate the direction Charles seems inclined to take, completely severing Harry and Meghan’s remaining royal relationships and privileges.
Some experts say such a move could permanently break Harry’s relationship with his father and the rest of the family. In summary, King Charles asserted his authority by stripping Prince Harry of his HRH title, with the aim of positioning Harry outside of the working royal institution, which would result in the loss of financial support, security protections and respect that comes with being an HRH. Rumors persist regarding the potential removal of the Duchy of Sussex titles, suggesting that tensions between Harry, Meghan and the rest of the royal family are at an unprecedented level.
It remains to be seen how this unprecedented demotion will affect the couple in the long term and whether they will choose to react publicly. One thing is certain: King Charles is determined to restructure the royal family according to his vision, and Prince Harry no longer has his place at the top table. We will continue to monitor any new developments in this ongoing royal saga. Thank you for listening to the Windsor Report.
