Prince William plans to strip Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of ‘HRH’ titles when he becomes king: report

A royal rumble.

Prince William plans to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their “HRH” titles — His or Her Royal Highness — when he becomes king, according to a new report. 

The news arrived after it was revealed that Meghan, 43, has used the “HRH” title in personal correspondence. (Though technically considered a “style,” “HRH” is often colloquially referred to as a “title.”)

The former “Suits” star was granted the style of “HRH” in 2018 when she became the Duchess of Sussex upon her marriage to Prince Harry, who was born an “HRH.” 

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Meghan and Harry agreed not to use the style when they stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, though they technically remained “Their Royal Highnesses.”

The terms of that agreement — known as the Sandringham Agreement — are now seemingly in dispute, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday. 

Prince William has also found himself at odds with his father, King Charles, who sources told The Daily Beast lacks the appetite “for a fight on the issue.”

she received from the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, which addressed her as “Your Royal Highness.” 

Then, on Monday, podcast host Jamie Kern Lima, 47, shared a photo of a gift basket Meghan once dropped off at her house, which included a note that read, “With compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex.” 

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The Post understands the Duke and Duchess are of the view that “while they do not publicly use ‘HRH,’ this [gift basket] was a personal gift, and their titles remain” and that “by agreement, they do not use them for commercial purposes.”

In reaction, a former palace courtier allegedly told The Daily Beast that the Sussexes’ interpretation of their exit agreement with the royal family about the “HRH” style is “complete rubbish.” According to the source, the agreement from the Sandringham Summit “made it clear they had agreed not to use the HRH titles at all, ever, in any capacity.”

The official statement issued by the royal family at the time of Meghan and Harry’s departure from the royal fold read, “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.”

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The former courtier also allegedly told The Daily Beast, “[King] Charles might be happy to put up with this, but William won’t. He loathes and despises Harry and Meghan with every bone in his body, he believes they have betrayed everything the family stands for and the idea that they are using their royal status as a calling card will enrage him.”

Friends of Prince William supposedly told the outlet last week that they suspected Meghan’s posting the letter from the Ukrainian official was a way of testing the waters while maintaining “deniability” since “HRH” was not written in her hand.  

However, the revelation that Meghan has used the “HRH” style in a personal capacity allegedly incensed those in Prince William’s inner circle, according to The Daily Beast.

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“Charles has completely lost control,” the outlet said a friend of William’s stated. “It’s apparent that Harry and Meghan have every intention of making his final years a misery, just as he feared they would. Meghan using her HRH exposes how weak and enfeebled he is. She knows he won’t do anything. There is no way King William will stand for this. The titles will simply be removed when he is king. A way will be found.”

Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and reps for Harry and Meghan did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

There are only three instances in contemporary history when a royal has stopped using the style or title of “HRH.” Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sarah, Duchess of York, both lost their “HRH” status after dissolving their respective unions, and Prince Andrew agreed to stop using the title in the aftermath of the scandal surrounding his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

Whether William could actually strip Meghan and Harry of their “HRH” titles is somewhat uncertain, as former UK government minister Norman Baker told The Daily Beast.

“The law is not clear, but I have little doubt that as the bestowing of an HRH is in the gift of the monarch, the monarch could remove the HRH title. It would basically be the equivalent to an executive order in the US,” he said.