If Meghan Markle loses her title as the Duchess of Sussex, she will be known as Princess Henry, according to a royal expert.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, explained on The Royal Beat that King Charles III will unlikely strip Meghan, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, of their royal titles despite their departure from royal duties in 2020.
“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,” Seward said, according to The Mirror.
Prince Harry was born Prince Henry Charles Albert David but went by Harry. If Meghan lost her Duchess title, she would be called Princess Henry, following royal tradition where a princess takes an official title with her husband’s name.
The same applies to Kate Middleton, who was technically known as Princess William upon marrying Prince William in 2011 but is referred to as the Princess of Wales or the Duchess of Cambridge.
Seward noted that Harry and Meghan would likely indefinitely retain their Duke and Duchess titles. “The Queen gave them the titles; let them keep them – they’re going to be ‘H and M’ anyway,” she said.
“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.”
Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 and now reside in California with their two children.
Royal author Tom Quinn recently claimed that Charles, 75, and William, 41, “have had lengthy discussions about stripping” the couple of their titles but are hesitant.
“They are terrified this would backfire and worsen the situation,” Quinn told The Mirror last month. “The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about.”
Quinn added that even without their titles, Meghan and Harry would continue to be perceived as royals globally.
Critics have accused them of leveraging their royal connection through the titles while avoiding the responsibilities that come with royal life.
The royal family members have no speaking relationship with Meghan and Harry. They lost trust in them after the couple disclosed numerous insider details about the Firm through highly publicized projects, including Harry’s 2023 memoir “Spare” and their Netflix documentary.
