As a rift continues to simmer between Prince Harry and his family, there is speculation of the Duke of Sussex and his controversial wife losing their royal titles.
Meghan Markle would be known by the awkward new name of "Princess Henry," the Mirror reported.
Harry and Meghan have continued to go by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex despite leaving their royal duties in 2020 and moving to the United States to live as full-time social media celebrities.
The couple have aired their grievances with the Royal Family in numerous media projects including a memoir, Spare, and a Netflix series, fueling a break with Harry's brother William and his father, King Charles.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward said it's not probable that Buckingham Palace would go to the drastic step of stripping the Sussexes of their titles, which they received from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
If the couple lose their titles, Markle would become Prince Henry. The reason is that Harry's birth name is Prince Henry Charles Albert David, and according to tradition, Meghan is Princess Henry.
“I don’t think anything will happen to the titles because, if they lose their titles, Harry is still a prince of the blood and Meghan instead of being the Duchess of Sussex, [would] be Princess Henry,” Seward said.
“That really would [confuse the Americans],” Seward added. “I think [it’s] probably best just to leave it because it looks unkind, it looks unnecessary.”
Prince Harry was snubbed by his father the King during a trip home to the United Kingdom last month. Charles failed to meet with Harry and bestowed a high military honor on his brother Prince William, who unlike Harry is not a veteran.
While the Sussexes' ties with the British monarchy remain strained, they received a warm welcome during a recent tour of Nigeria, which half-black American-born Markle dubbed her adopted "home" - as she received a traditional Yoruba name, "Adetokunbo."
The tour's royal connotations are said to have fueled more anger within the Royal Family and "lengthy discussions" between Charles and William about stripping titles, expert Tom Quinn said.
But, Quinn, said, “They are terrified this would backfire and make the situation worse."
“The last thing they want is to give the renegade royals something else to complain about," he added.
It's the latest in a long list of headlines generated by members of the Royal Family.
