Royal Family Website Update Wasn’t ‘Trading Insults’ With Prince Harry, Expert Says It Highlights What ‘They Really Need’ Done
Prince Harry’s no longer a “royal highness,” as far as the British royal family’s website goes. It underwent a small update, particularly surrounding the Duke of Sussex’s title, which an expert doesn’t believe was a “slight.”
The royal family removed Prince Harry’s ‘royal highness’ title from their website
After The Daily Express called out the royal family’s website for calling Harry “His Royal Highness,” his title changed. On the website, that is. Harry went from an HRH to being referred to as simply “The Duke” on his biography page.
The royal family also corrected another error pointed out by the outlet: Harry being the youngest son of the Prince of Wales. Harry’s father, King Charles III, used to be the Prince of Wales. However, the title now belongs to Harry’s brother, Prince William. Meaning that the Prince of Wales’s youngest son is actually Harry’s 5-year-old nephew, Prince Louis.
Harry’s brother and Kate Middleton were also listed by their Duke and Duchess of Cambridge titles despite having been the Prince and Princess of Wales for nearly a year.
Buckingham Palace released a statement about Harry’s title on the website, telling the outlet: “The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family. Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically. Some content may be out of date until this process is complete.”
Removing Harry’s HRH title on the royal family website indicated ‘catching up’ after Queen Elizabeth’s death
Changing Harry’s title on the royal family website wasn’t that big of a deal, according to royal Gareth Russell. As he told Us Weekly, it’s likely a matter of making updates following Queen Elizabeth II’s September 2022 death.
“Part of it — without throwing too much shade in the general direction of the royal website — is that it is chaotically curated,” Russell said, adding it’s overseen by staff. “The royals no more update the website than the president of the U.S. would update the presidential website,” he explained.
“There are still some areas where Queen Elizabeth is referred to in the present tense,” Russell continued. “So they really need to get that dealt with. I think it’s simply the fact that they’re catching up bit by bit and trying to update this as they go.”
Harry’s HRH styling was removed. However, his kids’ titles were added. The royal family’s website now lists his son and daughter as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. “So it wasn’t just removing the HRH,” Russell said. “It was also putting Archie and Lilibet’s proper titles on, as well.”
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a slight to Prince Harry,” the expert added, noting it doesn’t seem like Harry and Meghan, nor Buckingham Palace, are “interested in slinging arrows or trading insults.”
Previously, in January 2020, when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back as senior working royals, Buckingham Palace announced the couple would no longer use their HRH titles.
Another royal expert believes the Harry HRH website update wasn’t a ‘coincidence’
While Russell is of the opinion Harry’s title removal resembled digital housekeeping, another expert said the timing was telling.
Discussing the update, royal expert Richard Kay told the Daily Mail: “It was surely no coincidence that the prince’s arrival in the Far East coincided with the brutal reality check administered by Buckingham Palace about his status — and that of his wife, Meghan — in the new‑look royal family.”
Kay went on, saying at one time, “There was no push for a change.” The reason being “Queen Elizabeth wanted to ensure that anything her grandson might interpret as a snub or the slamming of a royal door was avoided.”
