The official royal family website deleted Prince Harry’s HRH title three years after the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their roles as senior royals.
The title was removed from the site after U.K. outlet Express reported on Friday, August 4, that Harry, 38, was still referred to as HRH in his bio. The page still features a 2017 tweet referring to Harry as HRH when meeting with military veterans.
“After joining a discussion on how the city can best provide support for ex-personnel, HRH then met other residents who live on the street,” the tweet — which features Harry greeting the public — reads.
The website change comes three years after Buckingham Palace announced in a January 2020 statement that Harry and Meghan, 41, “will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.” (Their children — Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2 — are allowed to use prince and princess titles because it’s their “birthright since their grandfather [King Charles III] became Monarch [in September 2022],” a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan told Good Morning America in May.)
At the time of Harry and Meghan’s 2020 decision to step down, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement in support of the couple’s choice.
“Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” the queen — who died in September 2022 at age 96 — shared via the royal family website at the time.
“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”
While Harry remained close to Elizabeth until her death, he and Meghan, 41, denounced their alleged treatment by the royals since stepping down from their positions. Harry has leveled numerous accusations against brother Prince William and father Charles, 74, who assumed the throne upon Elizabeth’s death. (Charles publicly expressed his “love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas” in his inaugural speech as monarch in September 2022.)
In his memoir, Spare, which was released in January, Harry claimed that William, 41, once physically attacked him after referring to Meghan as “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive.” Harry also alleged that Charles’ team planted negative stories about him and William.
In the ensuing years, Charles and William, who is now first in line to the throne, have “had to put up this united front against Harry and Meghan,” royal expert Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly last month. “They’ve been insulted by members of their own family. It’s been quite the ordeal for them, and I think that they kind of circled the wagon, so to speak. And they’ve come out of that with a stronger bond.”
Harry and Meghan have put up their own “united front” amid Harry’s multiple lawsuits against U.K. tabloids, their drama with the other royals, the backlash from their various entertainment endeavors and more. “It’s been a challenging time,” a source exclusively told Us earlier this month. “As far as they’re concerned, it’s Harry and Meghan against the world.”
