London
Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, will no longer be known as “royal highnesses,” surrendering their top titles in another break with their lives as servants of the crown, a palace statement said Saturday.
They will also repay millions spent on renovating their mansion, as the couple step back from their royal duties and begin to split their time between Britain and Canada.
The announcement of a new deal for Harry and Meghan both giveth and taketh away. The couple win their freedom from a palace-centric life of duty serving the queen as “senior working royals,” which they found suffocating — especially the intense, often harsh media coverage.
But in exchange, they give up the “HRH.” Harry and Meghan are no longer working members of the Royal Family The couple will also forgo public funds and repay public money spent on refurbishing their cottage west of London. (Reuters)
This means that Harry and Meghan’s titles will be pruned back. Harry’s official title was “His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex,” and Meghan’s was “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.” The statement confirms that they have lost the “HRH” part.
When Princess Diana and Sarah, the Duchess of York, divorced their royal husbands, they, too, lost their royal highness titles.
Queen agrees to ‘period of transition’ as Harry and Meghan reinvent their lives It seemed clear that Harry and Meghan wanted to keep at least some part of their titles — and hardly surprising given that they use “SussexRoyal” on their Instagram and website, and are reportedly trying to register that as part of a global trademark.
On their new website, SussexRoyal.com, Harry and Meghan included a question-and-answer on titles in the “funding” section of their site.
They ask: “Do any other members of the Royal Family hold a title and earn an income?” and answer: “Yes, there is precedent for this structure and applies to other current members of the Royal Family who support the monarch and also have full time jobs external to their commitment to the monarchy.”
They might have been referring to people like Harry’s cousin Beatrice, or “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York,” who works in finance.
Harry and Meghan announced they will repay $3 million in British taxpayer funds that was used to refurbish their home near Windsor Castle, a five-bedroom, former fixer-upper known as Frogmore Cottage.—Agencies
