Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have ditched their royal titles — at least, that’s what an upcoming television special featuring them seems to indicate.
Next week, Time will air its first-ever Time 100 2020 TV special, which will present a list of the 100 most influential people of the past year — to include the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In a trailer for the event, the couple was simply referred to as “Harry and Meghan,” devoid of any further titles, styles, or pretenses.
In the complex rules that govern the British Royal Family, one’s titles — which outline how the person is addressed directly and how they are referenced in discourse — are of great importance. Indeed, when Princess Diana divorced Prince Charles decades ago, in addition to working out the financial and custody arrangements that couples typically address when divorcing, the two sides hammered out, in exacting detail, what titles Diana would be allowed to retain.
The same process was followed upon the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure from the Royal Family. As BBC News reported in January, the pair agreed to eventually drop their royal titles. Specifically, they will no longer be addressed or referred to as “His/Her Royal Highness,” a decision reached with the approval of the Queen after months of consideration.
Harry has previously hinted that he’s done with the formality which used to dominate his life. For example, back in February, Harry attended a tourism conference in which he specifically asked not to be called “ Prince Harry.”
“Just call me, ‘Harry,’” he said at the time.
Further, the couple has announced that their future business endeavors won’t include any reference to the word “royal” or “Sussex.”
However, it doesn’t appear as if the details of the title changes are finalized quite yet. Time magazine refers to the pair as the “Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle” in publicity about the upcoming TV special other than the trailer.
Additionally, earlier this week the @kensingtonroyal Instagram account, which belongs to Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton, referred to the duke as “ Prince Harry” in a post wishing him a happy birthday.
As reported at the time by The Inquisitr , back in May, rumors suggested that the brothers weren’t seeing eye to eye on a variety of issues. However, the men apparently patched things up and had gotten back in touch with each other.