King Charles Refuses to Take Something Away From Prince Harry That Was a Special Gift From Queen Elizabeth II
When Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced their decision to step back from royal duties in 2020, they initially wanted a half-in-half-out deal. However, Queen Elizabeth II would only give them the option of all-in or nothing. The couple chose the latter and were able to retain their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but were no longer addressed as His/Her Royal Highness. In 2021, the monarch stripped the Sussexes of their honorary royal patronages and military appointments.
Following the queen’s death, many wondered how King Charles would handle his youngest son who continued airing out the family’s dirty laundry in the press. Calls for action from Charles grew louder after Harry went rogue with his tell-all memoir Spare. Two months later, it was revealed Harry and Meghan were being evicted from Frogmore Cottage. While Charles has taken away the pair’s U.K. home, there may be something the king doesn’t want to strip Harry of because it was gifted to him by the late queen.
Prince Harry and Meghan have had their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles since the day they were married when they were given to them by Queen Elizabeth. But questions about their titles being taken away have been a hot topic among royal commentators since the couple stepped down. Well according to royal author Robert Jobson, there’s been discussions among senior royals about it as well.
An excerpt from Jobson’s book titled Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed and published by the Daily Mail reads: “The idea of stripping Harry of his Duke of Sussex title has been discussed at the highest level. The king is said not to be in favor, but other senior royals are less indulgent. Ultimately, despite Charles’ enduring love for his son, he will come under increasing pressure if Harry continues to attack the monarchy. At that point, the king would have two options: put up with the spreading stain on his reign or take action to limit its scope. In short, Harry and Meghan could yet find themselves demoted to Mr. and Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor of Montecito, California.”
However, Grant Harrold, who was the king’s butler from 2004 to 2011, gave his opinion on whether he thinks Charles will strip Harry and Meghan of their Sussex titles and can’t see it happening. But he can see the monarch taking something else away.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo Harrold said: “I know a lot of people think that King Charles should strip Harry of his royal title. Kings and queens would historically strip royal titles for treason to the Crown. I think Charles is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t when it comes to Harry. I think it’s best to just let sleeping dogs lie. At the moment, I think there’s not a real justified reason for him to strip Harry’s Duke of Sussex title. Another reason he probably won’t is that the queen gave it to Harry as a gift. For Charles to take the title off Harry, he’s taking a gift from his mother away from her grandchild. I really don’t think he will.
“What he can strip quite easily is Harry’s HRH, which was originally given to the children and grandchildren of the monarch. It would be quite unusual because he’s still the son of the king, but it is possible. If his HRH was to be taken away, I can’t imagine the public will have an issue with that. However, I think the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is something that will definitely remain with Harry and Meghan.”
