Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, previously, announced that they will be stepping down from being senior royals. The couple explained that they want to focus more on their family and charities, and be “financially independent” while doing so.
But. since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are members of the royal family, their decision must come with a price. Recently, the Buckingham Palace revealed that one of the exit terms that Queen Elizabeth and the Sussex couple agreed on is for them to prevent from using their HRH (His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness) titles.
Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle supported this decision, one royal author called Queen Elizabeth “mean-spirited” for coming up with it.
“The palace’s decision to strip Prince Harry and Meghan of their HRH titles does not fall far short of being mean-spirited,” Nigel Cawthorne, author of "Call Me Diana: The Princess of Wales on Herself," said. “They don’t stand accused of having committed a heinous criminal act. All they requested was to be allowed to lead a more private life not funded by the state. The palace’s graceless response is unnecessarily harsh and shows that no lessons have been learned since the divorce of Harry’s mother from the Prince of Wales.”
Last week, Queen Elizabeth called the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as Harry and Meghan, which sparked speculations that the couple may have lost their titles. The Buckingham Palace released a statement from Her Majesty after a “very constructive discussion” with Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry. There, she called her grandson and his wife as simply Harry and Meghan.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the statement read. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
The statement revealed that Queen Elizabeth supports Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision. But, she did point out that the process is complex so the final decisions will be “reached in the coming days.”
The Buckingham Palace is expected to release more information regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's withdrawal soon.
