Prince Harry stripped of his Royal Highness title: What does it actually mean for the Duke?

Prince Harry is on the front page again. Since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from senior members of the Royal Family in 2020, the two have constantly been at the centre of a lot of drama.

From the mere fact of leaving the Royal Family to relocate in North America, to the Oprah interview and the Netflix special, the couple has given the press a lot to write about. But they aren’t the only ones making waves. The Firm has also been making moves.

The most recent: removing Prince Harry’s Royal Highness title from their official website. But what does it actually mean to lose this title?

This is a title that he lost three years ago

Looking at headlines from mainstream media such as The Independent or Daily Mail you would think that this is breaking news. They lead readers to believe that the fact that the title has been removed from the website means that he had the title until then.

That simply isn’t true. Indeed, when they made the decision to ‘step down’ as senior members, the Sussexes made a deal with the Firm. The deal was that they would no longer be addressed as ‘Their Royal Highnesses.’ This happened in January 2020.

Not only that, while they gave up this title they are still known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Read more:Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly 'outraged' over children’s new titles

What does it mean to lose that title?

To answer this question simply: it means nothing.

Indeed, as the publication Mint explains, ‘these titles were traditionally used as a mark of respect for princes, princesses and their partners.’

Losing it doesn’t change the line of succession, leaving Prince Harry fifth in line. It also doesn’t strip the couple of their Duke and Duchess titles. Moreover, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan remain known as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Finally, Prince Harry is not the only member to lose that title but the main difference is that he chose to step down as a senior member while Prince Andrew had his title taken away from him following sexual abuse allegations.

Having Prince Harry’s title removed from the website is a simple update but we understand the media’s want to feed into the Royal Family drama. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to see here!

Read more:Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as world leaders: Is it so hard to imagine?

Sources:

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Mint: Prince Harry loses ‘His Royal Highness’ title: Royal Family website removes HRH; is he still fifth in line to throne?