Prince Harry's title, "His Royal Highness," has been noticeably removed from the official website of the British monarchy.
Royal commentator Richard Kay has labeled the move a "brutal reality check" for Harry and Meghan Markle, and the HRH scrub was "no coincidence" on the palace's part.
"A visceral bitterness persists at the sustained attacks that Harry and Meghan have waged against family members through his memoir and their various television interviews," Kay added. In response to these continued scandals, the royal expert observed how the royal family was determined to send some kind of message.
"In such a highly charged atmosphere, there was resentment that elements of the Duke and Duchess’s previous lives were allowed to remain unaltered, as though they were still somehow part of 'the Firm,'" Kay pointed out.
Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex no longer HRH, their styles and titles remain intact and can only be fully stripped by orders of King Charles III and the British parliament. The King can take away Harry's HRH and the government would need to strip his peerage title, "Duke of Sussex." Any changes affecting the prince automatically transfer to Meghan, since her royal status is only active by virtue of marriage.
However, many experts and commentators have pointed out how getting into a press war with the royal rebels by stripping their titles could damage the monarch's reputation. "One reason there was no push for a change was that the late Queen Elizabeth wanted to ensure that anything her grandson might interpret as a snub or the slamming of a royal door was avoided," Kay observed.
As OK! previously reported, removing the Sussex duo's titles is not a priority for the Sovereign. This is because the Duke nor his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Diana, will likely ever be in a position to succeed to the throne. The California royals are fifth, sixth, and seventh in line to the Crown, respectively.
Furthermore, stripping the pair of their titles is believed to be something Charles III is personally against, as the titles were a gift to the duo from his late mother. The King is reported to be the only senior royal that currently speaks to the Montecito twosome.
Daily Mail reported on Kay's comments.
