Allow them to reintroduce themselves. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared to ditch their royal titles in a new promo for an upcoming broadcast TV event.
The couple are among several high-profile celebrities expected to be featured in the first primetime TV special celebrating Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, airing on September 22. In a new promo shared by E! News, fans noticed that the 36-year-old prince and the 39-year-old Suits alum were simply referred to as “Harry and Meghan” instead of using their His and Her Royal Highness titles.
Despite their abbreviated mention in the commercial, a Time article detailing the event refers to the pair as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The duo are set to appear alongside Trevor Noah, Sandra Oh, John Legend, Kumail Nanjiani and more, with musical performances by Halsey, Jennifer Hudson and The Weeknd.
Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan sent shockwaves through the royal family when they announced that they would be stepping down from their senior positions. Their exit was made official in March, when they settled down in Los Angeles with son Archie, 15 months. The family of three purchased a home in Montecito, California, in June.
In the aftermath of their step down announcement, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming that “the Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.” Several months later, Harry ditched his royal title and surname on documents related to his eco-friendly tourism organization, Travalyst.
“[Harry is] not planning to officially drop his Mountbatten-Windsor title legally,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively in April, noting that the former military pilot “reassured” Queen Elizabeth II that his choice was “not a personal dig” toward the family. “The bottom line is, he prefers to keep it casual and be known as ‘Harry.'”
As for the retired actress, stepping outside of the royal spotlight has allowed her to “feel like herself again,” especially after returning to her home state of California. Since settling down outside of L.A., Harry and Meghan are looking forward to forging their own path in the entertainment industry with a multimillion-dollar Netflix deal.
“It was too tempting to resist,” an insider told Us exclusively of the partnership, which the pair view “as a way of rebuilding their reputation.”
