Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing the possibility of being stripped of their royal titles following the Duke's devastating legal loss against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The High Court dismissed all 97 allegations brought by Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley, and former MP Sir Simon Hughes. Harry then accused the court of a 'whitewash' and implied bias from Mr Justice Nicklin, sparking widespread criticism.
Royal Experts Weigh In on Title Revocation
On the podcast The Royals Uncensored, host Jo Elvin questioned Harry's position as fifth in line to the throne and a councillor of state while criticizing the judiciary. American commentator Kinsey Schofield said, 'I think it's a realistic option, and I think that it would win the King a lot of fans.' She praised Buckingham Palace's swift response regarding Harry's accommodation, adding, 'There's the backbone we've been waiting for.'
Schofield continued, 'Imagine if he had the courage to strip them of their titles, that they don't need as Americans. Harry and Meghan don't need these titles if they're going to run production companies in the United States.'
King Charles' Former Butler Suggests HRH Removal
King Charles' former butler, Grant Harrold, noted that the monarch could easily revoke the HRH style, which was granted by George V and later adjusted by Queen Elizabeth II. 'The King could quite easily revoke that. He could quite easily take that away from them,' Harrold said. Co-host Katie Nicholl expressed concern for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who hold those titles. Harrold added, 'They could still have the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which was a gift from Queen Elizabeth. I don't see him taking that away, but HRH, I think it's possible to see that.'
Backlash Over HRH Usage
The Sussexes faced criticism in May 2025 after Meghan's friend Jamie Kern Lima shared a gift basket with a monogrammed card reading 'With Compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex.' Despite retaining their HRH titles after stepping down as senior royals in 2020, they agreed not to use them publicly. Buckingham Palace stated at the time, 'The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family.' A source for Harry and Meghan defended the gift as 'personal' and not for commercial purposes, saying, 'While they do not publicly use 'HRH,' this was a personal gift, and their titles remain.'
