Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been critical of the monarchy. However, the Queen has remained tight-lipped and only expressed her support to the couple. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex couldn't give the same treatment toward the monarch under his father, King Charles III's reign, according to a royal expert.
King Charles Could Remove Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Royal Titles?
The new king made it clear that he wanted to streamline the monarchy. There are speculations that he also wanted to limit the titles to the working royals only.
Vanity Fair royal editor, Katie Nicholl, author of the new book The New Royals, weighed in on the future titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex under the new monarch's reign. Nicholl warned them about their treatment toward the institution.
Nicholl looked back at what Prince Harry and Markle did after they stepped back from their royal duties. According to her, while speaking on GB News, the royal couple is "not afraid to be critical of the institution," citing their interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they made several allegations against the members of the royal family.
According to Nicholl, King Charles could show his "ruthless side." Unlike Queen Elizabeth, who had been lenient to Prince Harry and Markle, the Sussexes could not expect the same tolerance from his father, who wanted to protect the crown.
"[King] Charles is not going to stand back and let the family or the institution or the reputation of the crown, which is everything to him, be tarnished or indeed trashed," Nicholl said.
"I think perhaps there might be a question mark over the future of Harry and Meghan's titles, potentially, if they are seen to be deliberately tarnishing the reputation of the monarchy. Absolutely."
King Charles Gave Son Prince Harry An Ultimatum About His Memoir?
Various insiders claimed that the royal family fears Prince Harry's upcoming memoir. However, King Charles is not letting his son become a threat to his reign.
An anonymous insider told Radar Online that King Charles "has gone into severe crisis-management mode." He acknowledged that his son knew too much about their family, and he didn't want him to use them against him or any member of the firm.
"The king has issued a firm warning to Harry that if he rats him out in any way in the book, Harry's whole family will be stripped of their titles. And he'll be cut off from royal life for good! There have been last-minute additions about the Queen's legacy, and he's also toned down some parts about Charles," the insider said.
At present, King Charles hasn't acknowledged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, as prince and princess. Their titles reportedly depend on Prince Harry's memoir and his and Markle's Netflix docuseries.
But as Nicholl mentioned earlier, Archie and Lilibet's royal titles are not the only ones at risk, if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not change their attitude toward the institution, they too can lose their royal titles.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.