Prince Harry’s page on the royal family’s website was just updated to remove references to his “His Royal Highness” title.
After Express reported on Friday that the Duke of Sussex was still being called “His Royal Highness” in his bio, the outlet noticed on Tuesday that the page had been updated to remove the two references to the title.
Both references were tied to Harry’s work to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in 2016. The title is now replaced with “the Duke or the Duke of Sussex” — although he did not receive his dukedom from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth until his May 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.
The royal family’s website has not been completely updated following the death of Queen Elizabeth. As Express pointed out last week, Queen Elizabeth was still referred to as the current monarch, King Charles was called “the Prince of Wales” and Queen Camilla was still being styled as “the Duchess of Cornwall.”
Buckingham Palace said in a statement reported by Express: “The Royal Family website contains over five thousand pages of information about the life and work of the Royal Family. Following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, content has been revisited and updated periodically. Some content may be out of date until this process is complete.”
What would happen to Prince Harry and Meghan’s titles was revealed shortly after they announced they were stepping back as working members of the royal family in 2020.
Following the Sandringham Summit, when Prince Harry met with Queen Elizabeth, the then-Prince Charles and Prince William to discuss his change, Buckingham Palace revealed, “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.”
Prince Harry and Meghan would still be referred to formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and called Harry, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Since they decided to step back as working members of the royal family and relocated to Meghan’s home state of California, the couple have often introduced themselves as simply “Harry” and “Meghan.”
Prince Harry retained his place in the line of succession to the throne. Following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September, he holds the fifth spot after brother Prince William and William’s three children with Kate Middleton: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s two children — 4-year-old son Prince Archie and 2-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet — are also in the line of succession behind their father.
Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer carrying out duties on behalf of the royal family, Archie and Lili had changes to their titles when King Charles acceded the throne.
The palace updated the royal family’s official website in March to reflect Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s titles after they were previously styled as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.”
Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 42, first referred to their children’s royal titles while confirming the news of their daughter’s March 3 christening in California.
Archie and Lili’s prince and princess titles are in line with the precedent established by King George V after he issued a Letters Patent in 1917, which conferred the title of prince or princess on male line grandchildren of the sovereign.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet did not receive the titles when they were born because they were great-grandchildren of the monarch, but as grandchildren of the current monarch, they were afforded the titles of prince and princess.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE. “This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
More like the Royal Horse of Cornhole for Camilla. As for Harry the Court Jester/Fool. It should have been King Charles and Queen Diana not the king and horse. Charles was mever too bright but Doana was far too pretty for jug ears. Hopefully, we’ll get some class back when William and Kate take the throne with their heirs to follow.
Their titles are not a birthright. It’s all subject to King Charles wishes. He should revoke all of them & take them out of the line of succession as well. They don’t even want to live in the UK.