The princess who set a precedent Prince Harry could follow to give up titles

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles have been the subject of widespread speculation since the couple stepped down from their roles.

Harry and Meghan have been repeatedly urged to give up their titles over the years (Image: Getty)

A late member of the Royal Family could help Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put an end to the debate surrounding their titles.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have repeatedly been urged to relinquish their titles since announcing they would no longer serve as working members of the institution.

The late Queen Elizabeth II and her successor, Harry’s father King Charles III, have also seen the issue develop into a heated debate – and faced calls to strip the pair of their position after they levelled a series of egregious claims against the Royal Family.

The process of removing a title can be very complicated and would likely require the intervention of Parliament.

However, a royal expert has noted the issue could be put to rest by following a precedent set over 100 years ago.

Princess Patricia relinquished her royal title and style before her marriage in 1919 (Image: Getty)

Speaking to the Daily Express a few months after the Duke and Duchess stepped down in 2020, commentator Marlene Koenig noted Harry and Meghan could follow in the footsteps of Princess Patricia of Connaught.

Princess Patricia was the youngest daughter of Prince Arthur of Connaught and Princess Louisa Margaret of Prussia.

As the granddaughter of the sovereign – her grandmother being Queen Victoria – in the male line, Patricia was entitled to the title of Princess and the HRH style from birth.

But less than a year after the end of World War One, she became engaged to naval Commander Alexander Ramsay who, despite being the son of an Earl, was still considered to be a commoner.

Koenig said: “She was married, she was the first royal wedding after the end of the First World War and she was marrying the son of an Earl, the Honourable Alexander Ramsay.

“She, being very shy and not having a public role, decided that, because her husband was a mere Honourable, and there was no discussion of him in 1919 getting his own peerage, she chose to be styled not as a princess. She relinquished, did not renounce.”

The former princess continued to be known as Lady Patricia Ramsay after her wedding (Image: Getty)

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The then-King, George V, issued a Royal Warrant that allowed her to relinquish her princess title and the HRH style.

Koenig added: “So George V, her cousin, issued a letters patent that stated that she was relinquishing the use of the Royal Highness style and the title of princess.

“She would be styled as The Lady Patricia Ramsay with precedence before the marchionesses of England. She didn’t stop being a princess, in fact, in the 1937 and 1953 coronations, she wore the coronet in the role of a princess. She just wasn’t styled.”

Prince Harry has not directly addressed questions about his titles but he has sparked speculation about potentially giving them up after admitting he had “considered” taking up US citizenship.

Prince Harry earlier this year admitted he has considered applying for US citizenship (Image: Getty)

Under current regulations, the Duke would be required to give up any foreign titles acquired before applying for citizenship.

But US-based lawyer Alphonse Provinziano told the Daily Express that Harry could challenge the regulation to keep the titles if he were to become a citizen.

Provinziano said: “Under 8 USC 1448, you are required to renounce any foreign titles in order to become a US citizen, but native-born Americans face no such requirement.

“(…) Instead of renouncing his title, Prince Harry could instead challenge the law as a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment since it treats him differently from native-born Americans.”