KEY POINTS
- Jonathan Sacerdoti weighed in on calls for Prince Harry to be stripped of his titles after “Spare”
- The royal expert said he believes this is unlikely as the royal family doesn’t want more drama
- A member of British Parliament is working on a bill that would allow the Sussexes’ royal status to be downgraded
Buckingham Palace has no plans to remove Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles, according to a royal expert.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dropped a number of bombshells about the royal family since quitting royal duties in 2020, with claims in their recent Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan” and his memoir “Spare” stirring up drama anew.
However, royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti said he believes the royal family is not going to retaliate by stripping Prince Harry and Markle of their royal titles, despite a member of the British Parliament calling for it. International Business Times could not independently verify the claims.
“The sense I get is that this is not something they want to do,” the British journalist told Us Weekly Monday of the royal family. “I think they’re trying to calm things, not trying to throw more grenades — [they’re] not trying to provoke any more than they’re being provoked.”
The late Queen Elizabeth II allowed Prince Harry and Markle to keep their titles after they stepped down as senior working royals, but they were no longer allowed to use the style “Royal Highness.”
Following the release of Prince Harry’s “Spare,” however, some royal fans and pundits wondered if Prince Harry’s father King Charles would take action against the California-based couple.
But Sacerdoti said he doubts that the King would want to add to the drama by removing the Sussexes’ titles.
“Trying to remove their titles by the king would be seen as perhaps an aggressive move, or at least Harry and Meghan could dress it up that way,” he told the outlet. “I think perhaps they’re trying to spare us all of that misery as well. It’s just not necessarily on their agenda. They want to get on with doing the job of the royal family and try and avoid that.”
Richard Palmer, a royal correspondent for Daily Express and a regular interviewee on TV and radio for royal documentaries, shared a similar take last month.
“King Charles refuses to back new plot to axe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles,” he wrote for the outlet.
In December 2022, Bob Seely, a member of British Parliament, told the PA news agency that he plans to propose a bill in early 2023 that would allow the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal status to be downgraded.
“There is a political issue. As well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country,” the politician said of Prince Harry, according to The Guardian.
Sacerdoti weighed in on the “Private Members Bill,” explaining that if the legislation is passed, it would allow a vote on taking away the Sussexes’ titles.
“It’s aimed at dealing with what he called ‘bad royals’ to give support to the monarchy. He’s clear that this is in no way designed to embarrass the King or the royal family on his part,” Sacerdoti told Us Weekly.
