Is Prince Harry Still In Line For the Throne Even After Stepping Down as a Senior Royal?
Following Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell decision to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent,” many have wondered if the duke still keeps his place in the line of succession to the throne or if his choice has another royal taking his spot.
Read on to find out the answer, plus what that means for Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie, and his place in the line.
How the line of succession works
As the British royal family’s website reads, “The order of succession is the sequence of members of the royal family in the order in which they stand in line to the throne.” It dictates what happens after Queen Elizabeth II‘s reign and the order changes for some with every birth of a new royal baby.
When Prince Harry was born he was third in line to the throne but he was later bumped from that position by Prince William’s children and fell to sixth.
So when the Duke of Sussex decided to step away from royal life did he have to give up his place in the line?
Did Prince Harry lose or retain his spot in line for the throne?
If you’re wondering if Harry gave up his chance of ever being king when he stepped down know that his chances of sitting on the throne one day weren’t good to begin with.
Harry is still a prince since he was made one at birth and his decision to leave royal life behind won’t change that. Therefore, he retains his place in the line of succession behind Prince Charles, Prince William, and his brother’s three kids: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
As for baby Archie, he remains in the seventh spot post-Megxit behind Harry and ahead of his great uncle, Prince Andrew, who given his issues lately is still in the eighth spot.
Harry and Megan are still His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness
There’s also been some confusion about if Harry and Meghan are still His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness after stepping down. The answer is yes. They will keep those regal titles even though they can no longer use them since they are not formally representing the queen anymore.
“They remain HRH, they simply won’t be using their HRH status,” royal analyst Victoria Arbiter told TODAY. “And the reason for that is because the monarchy has to be very careful that there’s no indication of people cashing in or monetizing the monarchy or their association to the monarchy. They remain HRH, they just simply can’t use it.”
Although Harry has stepped away from royal life in his family it appears that once a prince, always a prince.
