King Charles has the ‘power’ to remove Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s titles to save Prince William from backlash

Another royal family has already seen it play out…

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle complained their son Archie didn’t have a title when he was born, but he and Lilibet automatically received their titles when King Charles’ ascended to the throne. However, there is a way the monarch could strip the children of being a prince and princess that would save Prince William from any potential wrath.

Reports of King Charles hoping to strategise a slimmed down monarchy have been swirling for years. Although His Majesty has never admitted it himself, there have been signs since his coronation – taking the small number of family members allowed on Buckingham Palace balcony as an example.

Now, if a move was made by Charles – or Prince William – where the Sussex children lost their titles, it could cause chaos between the royals across the Atlantic. But there is one way the monarch could still undertake this decision where the future king doesn’t receive any backlash.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were upset their children Archie and Lilibet were not born with titles (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

Meghan and Harry’s upset over Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet titles

When Archie was born, he wasn’t automatically given a prince title. This was due to how far down in the line of succession he himself, and Prince Harry, were. Whereas, Prince William’s children received titles at birth. The late Queen also made a rule ensuring all of William and Kate Middleton’s offspring were prince and princesses at birth.

After stepping down as senior members of the royal family, Meghan and Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview. During this bombshell chat, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made claims The Firm ‘changed’ the rules when Archie was born to prevent him becoming a prince.

However, it turned out that it was simply an old royal rule, instead. Archie – and any other children Meghan and Harry were to have, such as Lilibet – were to receive their titles when Charles became king. That is exactly what happened.

It was then up to the Sussexes whether they wanted the titles for their children, and they did. Some royals have opted out of this, for example, Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh. They chose for their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, not to have prince and princess or HRH titles to give them more of a ‘normal’ life.
Prince William is next in line to the throne (Credit: Cover Images)

Saving Prince William backlash if their titles were stripped

Although it hasn’t happened in recent generations of the British monarchy, another royal family had the same approach.

The Danish royal family removed the titles of the monarch’s grandchildren to slim down the court. Queen Margrethe II made this decision a year before she stepped down for her son to take the throne.

She made the choice to revoke the HRH Titles of her youngest son Prince Joachim’s four children. At the time, Her Majesty said it was to allow them to “shape their own lives”.

But the decree backfired, as her son was fuming over the decision, claiming his children were being ‘mistreated’. He hit out publicly, including in interviews.

However, she did not back down and when her son, King Frederik and his wife Queen Mary, ascended to the throne, they were not behind the decision nor received backlash.

If King Charles were to take this approach it would save William from any wrath as well.
William and Harry ‘no longer speak’ (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

Prince William’s ‘plans’

In recent years, after Harry and Meghan left the UK, there has been discussions over whether Archie and Lilibet could lose their titles. Their parents are allowed to use their Duke and Duchess of Sussex title as it was a wedding gift from the late Queen. However, as part of the Megxit deal, they were told they couldn’t use their HRH titles in public or a professional manner.

But what would be the case for their children?

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Royal Insider: “In theory, unlike a peerage, which would need an Act of Parliament to remove it,  the monarch can remove an HRH. Archie and Lili were due it as children of the sons of the monarch under the 1917 Letters Patent of George V.

“However, the Sussexes are reportedly including it in their passports and want them to have the option of being working royals. This seems to me highly unlikely. I never bought into the phrase ‘slimline monarchy’, although it is common among continental monarchies.

“The removal by Queen Margrethe of Denmark without warning of her younger son’s children’s titles led to a furious public row.”