Prince Harry has hinted that he and his wife Meghan Markle will never give up their royal titles, while brazenly asking “what difference it would make”.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in early 2020 that they would be leaving the monarchy and moving to America, many people called for them to give up their royal titles.
Those cries have only grown louder in the years since, with Harry and Meghan both launching multiple attacks on the royal family, starting with their inflammatory Oprah interview – and continuing with more television appearances, a Netflix documentary and the release of Harry’s bombshell memoir , which he has promoted in a number of on-air interviews.
More than two years later, a December poll found that 98 percent of respondents still want the couple stripped of their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex — especially amid the couple’s bombshell Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which premiered last month and contained several explosive allegations about their time as royals.
But now the 38-year-old prince has addressed the burning question surrounding his and his wife’s royal titles during a new in-depth interview with 60 Minutes – suggesting the couple will never relinquish their status as duke and duchess because he it does. I don’t think it would make a difference.
Prince Harry has hinted that he and his wife Meghan Markle (seen in 2017) will never give up their royal titles
The 38-year-old prince addressed the burning issue of his and his wife’s royal titles during a new in-depth interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday
When asked by host Anderson Cooper (left) why he and Meghan haven’t relinquished their titles, Prince Harry (right) fired back, “And what difference would that make?”
Asked by presenter Anderson Cooper why he and Meghan haven’t given up their titles, Prince Harry replied, “And what difference would that make?”
Anderson then pointed out that “one of the criticisms” the couple has received is that they “want to step down from the institutional role,” but still “want to be as public.”
“Every time I’ve tried privately there have been briefings and leaks and stories against me and my wife,” Prince Harry said.
“You know, the family motto is: never complain, never explain. But it’s just a slogan. And it doesn’t really last.’
The couple first made the shocking announcement that they would step down from royal duties on January 8, 2020.
At the time, they wrote in a joint statement that they made the decision after “many months of thought and internal discussions.”
They said they wanted to “work to become financially independent while continuing to give their full support to Her Majesty The Queen”.
“We now plan to balance our time between the UK and North America and continue to carry out our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth and our Patronages,” the statement continued.
“This geographic balance will allow us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also giving our family the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. ”
When the couple (seen in 2020) announced they were stepping down from the monarchy and moving to America in early 2020, many people called for them to give up their royal titles
A recent poll in December found that 98 per cent of respondents still want the couple to be stripped of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles
People want them to ditch their titles amid the couple’s bombastic Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which premiered last month and featured several explosive allegations
At the time, Norman Baker, a former Liberal Democrat MP and home secretary in the coalition government, said they should give up their titles in a scathing interview, declaring: “You can’t have one foot in and one foot out. ‘
“You’re either a member of the royal family or you’re not,” he told Express.
A little over a year later, in February 2021, Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as royals for good and moving full-time to California, where they bought a $14 million mansion in Montecito.
Harry (seen in 2017) said in the document that he had told his father, King Charles II, that he and Meghan were ready to give up their titles during discussions about their plan to move to America
A month later, the couple sat down with Oprah for a two-hour chat, during which they claimed someone in the royal family had raised concerns about their son, Archie’s skin color before he was born and Meghan had thoughts of suicide while pregnant, but that her daughter died Palace was told she couldn’t “get help” because “it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
After the interview aired, palace assistants urged the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to relinquish their titles again.
“The Duke of Sussex has now spent a great deal of time stressing that he is no different from everyone else and attacking the institution which he says has caused him so much pain,” a senior courtier said on Sunday to The Mail.
“There’s a growing feeling that if you don’t like the institution that much, you shouldn’t have the titles.
“They were just supposed to be Harry and Meghan. And if they refuse, they have to explain why not.”
In their recent Netflix documentary, the couple made more shocking claims – like that the pair were victims of “institutional gaslighting” and that the royals were lying to protect his older brother, Prince William.
Anderson pointed out during 60 Minutes that “one of the criticisms” the couple has received is that they “want to step down from the institutional role,” but still want “to be so public.”
“Every time I’ve tried privately there have been briefings and leaks and stories against me and my wife,” Harry stated
Harry also said on the show that he told his father, King Charles II, that he and Meghan were willing to give up their titles during discussions about their plan to move to America.
After the premiere, a YouGov poll conducted for The Times found that 44 percent of respondents said Prince Harry and Meghan should have their titles removed, while 32 percent opposed it.
A separate poll for The Sun newspaper found that 93 per cent of their readers said Harry and Meghan should have their titles revoked – and just four per cent said they should keep them.
A third of Mail+ resulted in 98 per cent of 9,700 people saying they wanted the royal couple to lose their titles.
Royal expert and biographer Robert Jobson said afterwards: “Harry claims in his Netflix documentaries that he offered to relinquish his title Duke of Sussex.
“Given the dislike he and his wife have for our constitutional monarchy, it is certainly time for the Crown to accept his offer. The title was conferred in anticipation of service to the crown and country.’
It was also reported last month that Members of Parliament were trying to pass legislation that would give the Privy Council the power to downgrade the status of Prince Harry and Meghan, with the Isle of Wight MP accusing the Sussexes of causing “misery Making Money” and Consuming Their titles are reported to rake in more than $121 million from corporate deals.
To change the royal couple’s status would require legislation to amend the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, which was used to remove honorifics such as peerages from enemies who supported German aggression in World War I.