Meghan Markle’s use of her “HRH” titled has rehashed discussions on whether the Duchess and Prince Harry can use the titles, and also if the British monarch, King Charles, has the power to remove it.
In a new photo of a gift basket that Meghan gave to a friend, a note could be seen which read: “With compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex,” set beneath Meghan’s royal cipher. This got the Duchess of Sussex backlash for using the title, but the note was part of a personal gift and not a public or commercial venture.
Harry and Meghan were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth after they tied the knot in 2018.
When they stepped down as working royals in 2020, the duo agreed to not use the HRH titles for business ventures.
Now, there are reports suggesting that when Prince William becomes King, he’ll remove the couple’s titles, but for now, the law doesn’t give the monarch that power.
When it comes to Harry’s dukedom, it will require legislation and an act of Parliament to be revoked. Whereas the HRH honorific is more vulnerable to the monarch’s will.
According to The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, a professional association for barristers in England and Wales, the HRH is susceptible to the monarch’s whim.
“At present, the Sussexes (like Prince Andrew, Duke of York) have agreed not to use the appellation while they have abandoned royal duties, but it is clear that it could be withdrawn by the King, a decision that would not be amenable to judicial review,” Master Graham Zellick, a professor of public law and tribunal judge, wrote.
“In any case, removal of the honorific on the basis of giving up the role of a working member of the royal family and living abroad could hardly be faulted,” he further explained.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Sussex title could also be removed if the Removal of Titles Bill is enacted into law. This will allow the monarch or a parliamentary committee to remove any royal titles.