Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been urged to give up their royal titles and look at Prince Harry's efforts outside the institution, according to a former Liberal Democrat minister.
Norman Baker claimed that royals should be free to quit their royal duties, just as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did, but should also give up their royal titles if they do so. He said Beatrice and Eugenie should not let their private careers sit alongside the privileges of their royal status.
Baker's warning on royal status
Speaking to GB News earlier this year, Baker said: “Being a member of the Royal Family is not something you choose; you're born into it, and you must have the right to, in inverted commas, resign and then do something else. It can't be a life sentence. If you want to go away and do something else, you should be entitled to do that.”
He added: “The reality is that Beatrice and Eugenie still retain their HRH titles, and really, if they want to go and work in the private sector or do their own thing, that for me is fine - as Harry and Meghan have done. But they can't have one foot in the camp of the Royal Family and one foot in the camp of private enterprise for themselves.”
Working royals or not
Baker continued: “They're either working royals or they're not working royals. If they're not working royals, they shouldn't have HRH titles. If you want to go away and do something else, you should be entitled to do that.”
Princess Eugenie works as a director at the contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth in London. Meanwhile, her sister Beatrice works in technology, private investment, and advisory services, serving as a strategic advisor at the tech and data analytics company Afiniti.
