Will Prince Harry and Meghan Meghan be stripped of titles? Charles likely to take them away on becoming king
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to find themselves in trouble with almost every public appearance they make. Just months after giving Oprah Winfrey a bombshell interview in which allegations of misconduct and racism were made against the royal family, the talk show host and Duke of Sussex sat together again for Apple TV+'s mental health documentary 'The Me You Can't See'.
This time around too, Harry criticized the royal family. And in doing so, he has upset a lot of royal followers who are now wondering if he and Meghan would lose their titles.
And as it turns out, Prince Charles has been left "deeply hurt" by his youngest son's latest criticisms of his upbringing in the royal family. So will the couple be stripped of their titles?
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In the documentary, Harry spoke about a lot of things but mostly aired his childhood issues and how they affected him well into his adult life. He said his father failed to protect him from "suffering" as a child, and that he moved to the US to get away from it all. "I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling," he said. He even added that London is a "trigger" for him and he was "afraid" ahead of returning to the UK for Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021.
Could Harry and Meghan lose titles?
Just before the documentary, Harry appeared on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast last week talking about how he experienced "pain or suffering" as a child and expressed a determination to "break that cycle". Royal aides suggested, following the podcast, that the Sussexes could lose their titles.
Referencing Harry one said he was "appalled that he could do this to the Queen when the Duke of Edinburgh is barely in his grave".
Harry claimed his father Charles made him "suffer" as a child. “My father used to say when I was younger, he used to say to William and I, ‘well it was like that for me so it’s going to be like that for you’. That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered it doesn’t mean your kids have to suffer. In fact it’s the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure any negative experiences you had mean you can make it right for your kids.”
Prince Charles could strip titles
Charles might be upset but will he strip the couple of their royal titles? Royal biographer Ingrid Seward reportedly said it is “unlikely” the Queen would take such a radical step but Charles could after he is crowned. She said, "I feel it would not be something the Queen would want to undertake at this stage of her reign. Perhaps Charles would remove all titles from his son when he becomes king."
According to a report in The Sun, Harry's criticisms have left Charles "at a loss about what to do". A source told the paper, “Father and son relations are at their lowest ever point. Charles is just at a loss about what to do. Harry doesn’t seem to take into account that parenting styles have radically changed over recent years, especially the role a father plays. It’s just so wounding to him (Charles), he’s a sensitive man and these personal attacks hurt deeply. He can’t understand why Harry is doing this to him."
However, according to Dr Bob Morris, a research fellow at The Constitution Unit, an Act of Parliament would need to be passed to strip the Sussexes of their titles.
Queen deeply upset
One source said the Queen is also very upset after the documentary. "Harry’s grandmother has taken this very personally and is deeply upset by what Harry has said, in particular his comments about Charles’s parenting and suggesting his father knows no better because of how he was brought up. It has been a very upsetting time."
A risk
Should that happen - should the Queen or Prince Charles revoke the royal titles - Harry and Meghan could threaten to "go nuclear" and end up revealing "a number of things" about the royal family.
According to a recent poll, many British people think Harry and Meghan should either lose their royal titles or stop using them. However, the Mail on Sunday’s Diary Editor Charlotte Griffiths reportedly told Palace Confidential show that the Queen should be wary of "provoking Meghan and Harry".
She said, "They have got a sort of enemy in the camp. They have a nuclear button they could press at any moment, there might be any number of things that they could reveal. If they provoke Harry and Meghan, they could be in trouble. So, if I was the Queen, I wouldn't dare take those titles away."