Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal duties five years ago, they have retained their royal titles.
While they no longer use the honorifics “His Royal Highness” or “Her Royal Highness”—a decision finalized in 2020—they still hold the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
These titles were a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II, given to the couple on their wedding day. Despite ongoing public criticism, especially when Harry and Meghan have spoken unfavorably about the monarchy, the Royal Family has not taken steps to revoke the Sussex title.
In fact, King Charles, even as monarch, does not have the authority to strip them of it.
This limitation exists because the Dukedom of Sussex was personally granted by the late Queen and removing it would require formal legislation passed by Parliament.
Royal commentator Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, explained that Harry, 40, would still retain his princely title due to his birthright—even if the Sussex title were withdrawn. In such a case, Meghan would become known as Princess Henry, which, Seward noted, might be more confusing to American audiences.
“I don’t think anything will happen to the titles,” Seward said on The Royal Beat.
“If they lose them, Harry remains a prince of the blood, and Meghan would be Princess Henry. That might actually create more confusion, especially in the U.S.”
She added that removing their titles could be perceived as harsh or unnecessary. “The late Queen gave them those titles. Let them keep them—they’ll just be ‘H and M’ regardless. It’s probably best to leave it alone, ignore it, and let them live their lives, which is exactly what the Royal Family is doing.”
Though Meghan is no longer an active royal, she spoke warmly about the Sussex name in her Netflix documentary, With Love, Meghan. In a conversation with her friend, actress Mindy Kaling, Meghan gently corrected her when she referred to her as Meghan Markle: “It’s so funny that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now.”
She went on to reflect on how the title became especially significant after becoming a mother. “You have kids and you think, ‘Now I share my name with my children.’ I didn’t expect it to mean so much, but it really does—it’s our little family name.”
In an interview with People, she echoed those sentiments, saying: “It’s our shared family name, and I didn’t realize how meaningful that would be until we had children. I love that Archie, Lili, H, and I all share that. It means a lot to me.”
