Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could face a huge setback as Prince William is reportedly planning a change that will see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stripped of their HRH titles
15:09 ET, 08 Aug 2025Updated 15:15 ET, 08 Aug 2025
Prince William is cracking down(Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could reportedly face a significant setback as Prince William plans changes that may also “shut the door” on his US-based nephew and niece, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
This development follows recent revelations that Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, were still using their HRH titles, despite assuring the late Queen Elizabeth II they would refrain from doing so.
King Charles has resisted calls to strip his youngest son and daughter-in-law of their Royal titles, but it’s understood that William holds a different perspective for when he eventually ascends the throne. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 before relocating to start a new life in the U.S.
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This implies that Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, will be impacted by any changes implemented by their uncle. The youngsters currently reside in the US with Harry and Meghan.
Earlier this month, reports suggested that Harry was attempting to retain the HRH title for his children, giving them the option to rejoin the family when they were older.
Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior working royals in 2020(Image: GETTY)
Labeling this as “beyond parody”, a friend of William’s reportedly told the Daily Beast: “William obviously isn’t going to hire Archie and Lilibet. This is just trolling on the part of Harry and Meghan.”, reports the Express.
A friend of Prince William clarified that HRH is not an official title but a way to address a member of the Royal Family, stating: “An HRH is bestowed by letters patent – which is basically a fancy way of saying it is a legally binding royal decree – and by precedent an HRH can be taken away by royal decree also.
“Look at Diana and Fergie. The HRHs weren’t removed ‘because they got divorced,’ the rules were quietly changed to remove HRHs from royal exes. There is a difference.
Harry and Meghan along with their two kids live in California(Image: Instagram )
“They have asked the Sussexes politely to stop using the style, to no avail, so I imagine William will simply issue new letters patent to formally remove the entire family’s right to use HRH when he becomes King.”
The source added that William, who is next in line to the throne, will present the move as “part of a wider tidying up exercise to reduce, more broadly, the number of HRHs in circulation”.
It was previously believed that Harry and Meghan chose not to use the ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ titles for their children, however, they first used the titles when announcing their daughter’s christening in 2022.