Prince William is reportedly preparing to revoke Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex when he ascends the British throne, amid deepening tensions within the royal family and continued fallout from the couple's public criticisms of the monarchy.
Sources told RadarOnline.com that palace insiders have quietly discussed removing the Sussex titles if the couple publicly attacks the royal family again. According to a courtier cited by the outlet, "The removal would require an Act of Parliament, but those in the know say the palace has already called several secret meetings to discuss the possibility and put an actionable plan in place."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were granted the Sussex titles by Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day in 2018. Despite their 2020 departure from official royal duties and subsequent commercial ventures, the titles remain intact, although the couple agreed not to use the "His/Her Royal Highness" styling or the Sussex Royal brand.
"The king was especially stung by Harry labeling him an emotionally cold father in his scathing memoir, Spare," the courtier told RadarOnline.com.
Although King Charles III, 76, is said to be reluctant to act out of concern for his image, insiders indicated that Prince William, 42, harbors fewer reservations. "Behind the scenes, people are saying that the royals have quietly sanctioned the title removal - if Harry and Meghan step out of line again," RadarOnline.com reported.
Sources also said that King Charles has given his blessing to William to pursue that route after his passing. The courtier added Charles "does not have the courage to pull the trigger himself," but has given William the go-ahead.
Tensions were reignited following Meghan Markle's appearance on the Netflix show With Love, where she told guest Mindy Kaling: "It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I'm 'Sussex' now."
"The royals are absolutely furious that Meghan continues to flaunt the Sussex title for her and Harry's own self-gain," a source told RadarOnline.com. "When King Charles does pass away, it's a certainty that William will pull the trigger and strip her and Harry of their HRH status."
The situation may be further complicated by reports of a potential new Netflix documentary by Prince Harry about his late mother, Princess Diana. Royal commentator Rebecca English of the Daily Mail discussed the matter on the Palace Confidential podcast, stating: "I think if he was to do it, it would bring him into massive conflict with his brother because although Harry and William together co-operated [on] I think two documentaries about their mother over the years to mark particular landmarks."
"I know Prince William has made a point of saying 'Look, it really is time to let my mother's memory rest in peace now'. He's made that very very clear, I mean apart from joint charitable initiatives like the Diana Awards which I think are very positive ones, they very much want to park that side of their mother's life," English said.
The Mirror reported that while some insiders claim Harry has received a Netflix offer, others deny such a proposal exists. Sources close to Harry have refuted the notion of an upcoming Diana documentary.
Meanwhile, Harry has stepped down as patron of Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in honor of Princess Diana, following internal disputes between the board of trustees and chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka. In a joint statement with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Harry said: "With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same."
"It is devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation. What's transpired is unthinkable," the statement continued. "We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."
