Britain’s royal family may be bracing for another big shake-up after Prince Andrew was formally stripped of his titles, with speculation rife that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be the next to face similar consequences.
Would Prince Harry and Meghan also lose their royal titles?
November 3, 2025 King Charles III. officially stripped Andrew of his title as Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, according to The Gazette, the United Kingdom’s official public record.
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The move comes nearly three years after Andrew stepped back from public duties over his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He is now referred to by his surname Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
While the decision marked a historic moment in the modern monarchy, it also opened the door to more questions about how the structure of the royal family might evolve — especially when Prince William, Prince of Wales, eventually ascends the throne.
According to royal historian Andrew Lownie, the removal of Andrew’s royal privileges showed how far the crown was now willing to go to maintain its public image and redefine the meaning of royal service. “Getting rid of Andrew was a very useful exercise in showing what’s possible in terms of titles,” Lownie told News Nation. “And it’s a warning shot across Harry’s bow.
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Lownie added that any possibility of reconciliation between the estranged royal brothers had long since passed. “The relationship between William and Harry is over,” he said. “William may even go so far as to ban Harry from royal events, including his own father’s funeral.” Harry and Meghan were reportedly “shocked” by the speculation about the title.
Sources close to Sussex have suggested that both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were “stunned” by the news that their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be removed in the future. British journalist Rob Shuter claimed in his Substack that an insider described Harry’s reaction as visceral: “His stomach dropped. He thought the titles were untouchable.”
Meghan is said to have shared the same distrust.
Why is the couple most likely to be next?
The speculation follows years of tension between the couple and the rest of the royal family following their decision in 2020 to step back from official duties and relocate to the United States.
Their subsequent interviews and public projects – including an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan – have further deepened the rift between them and the monarchy.
A wider review of the title perhaps under Prince William
According to reports from The Daily Beast, William is said to be considering a wider re-examination of royal titles when he becomes king. Insiders say his father’s precedent – removing the word “His Royal Highness” from Andrew’s name via official Letters Patent – may pave the way for further changes across the family.
Among those potentially affected are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Andrew’s daughters, whose titles could also be stripped to reflect their father’s position. “With Andrew now formally out of the picture, it’s only natural that this question also concerns his family,” one palace watcher told the paper.
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Sources also suggested that the title revision could extend to Harry and Meghan’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who were formally given titles in 2023. Under the proposed changes, the children could lose their ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ designations, in line with William’s stated vision of a ‘slimmed-down monarchy’.
Interestingly, even William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales’ children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – could see their royal prefixes ‘parked’ in the future. A royal insider suggested their titles could be suspended during their youth, allowing them to choose to take on or decline royal responsibilities as adults.
