As tense as things get — and as alleged on Thursday in the second episode of the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan” — it’s very unlikely that King Charles will ever strip the Sussexes of their titles, royal insiders say.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex from the late Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day, May 19, 2018.
But critics of the couple have said the pair should lose their titles after the first three episodes of the Netflix show, which came out last week, saw them spill even more beans about their unhappy lives behind palace walls.
Piers Morgan tweeted“King Charles must strip these two poisonous rats of all remaining titles and ties to the royal family and must do so quickly before they destroy the monarchy.”
However, a palace source told Page Six, “Taking their titles is not something the king would likely ever consider … mainly because it would be too petty and punitive.”
In addition, the source added: “It would only lead to the Sussexes claiming it was retaliation and proof that they were never wanted in the royal family.”
In a new trailer for the Netflix series released Monday, 41-year-old Markle says, “I wasn’t thrown to the wolves, I was fed to the wolves.”
Meanwhile, Harry adds, “They liked to lie to protect my brother [Prince William]. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
The identity of the “she” referred to by Harry, 38, isn’t clear from the trailer, although as Page Six has revealed, the pair will talk about being bullied by palace officials.
Even if the Sussexes were stripped of their titles, according to royal protocol, Markle would receive another honorary title: Princess Henry. (Only princesses born into the royal family are allowed to use their given names. A woman who marries a princess title, such as Princess Michael of Kent, takes her husband’s name.)
“Since the Sussexes simply called the show ‘Harry & Meghan’ they should take it upon themselves not to use their titles again,” said one royal onlooker. Otherwise they will send mixed messages.
“Do they want to be normal, albeit extremely powerful people – or do they want to live in the shadows of their former royal life?”
Majesty editor-in-chief Joe Little told Page Six there is nothing stopping Harry from relinquishing his titles, adding: “Harry can relinquish his princely title if he chooses, just like Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, when she married a commoner just over a century ago.
Harry and Meghan are believed to want their kids, Archie, 3, and 1-year-old Lilibet, to have royal titles, but Charles would wait until both the Netflix show and Harry’s memoir — “Spare,” due January 10 — are out. from.
As Page Six has previously revealed, the Sussexes are still expected at Charles’s coronation in May, regardless of what happens in the coming weeks.
Representatives from the Sussexes and the king were unavailable for comment.
