Meghan Markle will be called Princess Henry if she loses duchess title: royal expert

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Princess Henry reporting for duty.

Meghan Markle would be known as Princess Henry if she loses her title as the Duchess of Sussex, according to a royal expert.

Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Royal Beat that it’s unlikely Meghan, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, will be stripped of their royal titles by King Charles III, even though they quit their royal duties in 2020.

Meghan Markle at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas on March 8, 2024. Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP
“I don’t think anything will happen to the titles because, if they lose their titles, Harry is still a prince of the blood and Meghan instead of being the Duchess of Sussex, [would] be Princess Henry,” Seward said, according to The Mirror.

“That really would [confuse the Americans],” she added. “I think [it’s] probably best just to leave it because it looks unkind, it looks unnecessary.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after announcing their engagement in November 2017. EPA

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in May 2018. AP
Prince Harry was born Prince Henry Charles Albert David, but he obviously goes by Harry. So, if Meghan lost her title as Duchess of Sussex, she would technically be called Princess Henry, since it’s royal tradition that a princess takes an official title with her husband’s name.

The same rule applies for Kate Middleton, who was technically known as Princess William — but is referred to as the Princess of Wales or the Duchess of Cambridge — when she married Prince William in 2011.

However, as Seward pointed out, Harry and Meghan will likely be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex forever.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Challenge in April 2024. AP
“The Queen gave them the titles, let them keep them – they’re going to be ‘H and M’ anyway,” she said.

“I think the best thing is to leave them, ignore them, and let them get on with it – which is really what the Palace and the Royal Family are doing.”

Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior working members of the Firm in 2020, and they now live in California with their two children.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Nigeria on May 10, 2024. Anadolu via Getty Images
Royal author Tom Quinn recently claimed that Charles, 75, and William, 41, “have had lengthy discussions about stripping” the couple of their royal titles.

However, he doesn’t believe the king and his heir will make the move.

“They are terrified this would backfire and make the situation worse,” Quinn told The Mirror last month. “The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nigeria on May 11, 2024. Anadolu via Getty Images
“William and his father know that even without their royal titles Meghan and Harry would carry on traveling the world as if they were royals and most people in the world will still welcome them,” the expert further asserted.

Critics have accused Meghan and Harry of leveraging their connection to the UK crown through the titles while forgoing any of the duties or work commitments that royal life requires.

None of the members of the royal family have a speaking relationship with Meghan and Harry.

The Sussexes lost the trust of Harry’s relatives after they divulged countless insider details about the Firm with the release of several highly publicized projects, including Harry’s 2023 memoir “Spare” and their Netflix doc.