No matter how tense things get — and what ends up alleged in Thursday’s second installment of the Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan” — King Charles is very unlikely to ever strip the Sussexes of their titles, royal insiders say.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were gifted their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles by the late Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day, May 19, 2018.
But critics of the couple have said the couple should lose their titles following the first three episodes of the Netflix show, released last week, in which they spilled yet more beans about their unhappy life behind palace walls.
Piers Morgan tweeted: “King Charles needs to strip these two poisonous rats of all remaining titles and ties to the Royal Family and needs to do it fast before they destroy the monarchy.”
However, one royal expert told Page Six: “Stripping their title is not something the king would likely ever consider … mostly because it would be too petty and punitive.”
Plus, the expert added, “It would only lead to the Sussexes claiming that it was a retaliatory action and proof they were never wanted in the royal family.”
In a new trailer for the Netflix series released Monday, Markle, 41, says: “I wasn’t thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves.”
Meanwhile, Harry adds, “They were happy to lie to protect my brother [Prince William]. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
The identity of the “they” to which Harry, 38, refers is not clear from the trailer, although, as Page Six has revealed, the couple will talk about being bullied by palace officials.
Even if the Sussexes were stripped of their titles, Markle would end up with a different honorific, according to royal protocol: Princess Henry. (Only princesses born into the royal family are allowed to use their given names. A woman who marries into a princess title, such as Princess Michael of Kent, takes her husband’s name.)
“Given that the Sussexes called the show simply ‘Harry & Meghan,’ they should take it upon themselves to stop using their titles,” said one royal watcher. “They’re sending mixed messages otherwise.
“Do they want to be normal, albeit extremely powerful people — or do they want to live in the shadows of their former royal lives?”
Majesty managing editor Joe Little told Page Six that there is nothing to stop Harry from giving up his titles, adding: “Harry could relinquish his princely title if he wishes, just as Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, did when she married a commoner just over a century ago.”
Harry and Meghan are believed to want their children, Archie, 3, and 1-year-old Lilibet, to have use of royal titles, but Charles is thought to be waiting until both the Netflix show and Harry’s memoir — “Spare,” due Jan. 10 — are out.
As Page Six has previously revealed, the Sussexes are still expected at Charles’ coronation in May, no matter what happens in the coming weeks.
Reps for the Sussexes and the king were unavailable for comment.
