Is King Charles Ready to Remove a Prince?
Will a Danish Decision Come for Prince Harry and Other Royals?
(In light of the recent news on titles, I’m sharing this story from September 2022 again. I do not agree with the hot take on Twitter, that The King has somehow mishandled the Sussex situation, in fact I think he’s left very clear clues as to his intentions. King Charles is going to work according to his schedule, and changes on titles were never going to come before the Coronation. (and certainly not in reaction to something!) Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!)
It’s one of The King’s most anticipated decisions.
What will King Charles III decide about Royal Titles?
It’s no secret that he has long endorsed a so-called, “slimmed down” monarchy, where only a core group of senior Royals would have official roles, titles, and funding.
Contrary to what some think, The King didn’t come up with this on his own, he’s simply responding to more than thirty years of consistent public opinion. The British public are not (and, judging from past polls, never have been) interested in having multiple titled members of the Royal Family, who serve little official purpose.
In a “slimmed down” system, the titles would go primarily to those who are, or will become, monarchs or direct heirs. The others would not be included, as they will grow out of the line of succession anyway. (Consider Prince Andrew was a popular second in line until his older brother married and had children.)
It falls on King Charles III to decide who gets to be a Prince, Princess, and be styled HRH, His or Her Royal Highness. His decision may affect current members of The Royal Family, but it will almost certainly affect younger and future generations.
The most high-profile member waiting for The King’s decision, is, of course, his second son, Prince Harry, who spectacularly left his official Royal role, for commercial life in California. Based on his father’s earliest moves, Harry might find his Royal credentials will soon be wearing very thin.
King Charles is clearly drawing one noticeable line in the sand, between working Royals, and non-working Royals.
As his mother famously decided, you can’t be half in and half out. Her son is making it known that the official status, and all that comes with it, is for working members of The Royal Family only.
It’s a matter on which The King has proved quite decisive. He caught even the most seasoned Royal experts off guard, when he created his son and heir William, as The Prince of Wales, in the immediate hours after Queen Elizabeth’s death. After all, William was now first in line to the throne, the future King William V, and his father was making sure he had the title that goes with the position.
After years of too many Dukes and Duchesses at the top, including The King’s own wife, it seemed he wanted the right titles, with the right people, right away.
Not days later, The Telegraph reported that The King was considering taking steps to amend the law that decides which Royals serve as Counsellor of State. The distinction he reportedly wants considered, is whether or not the eligible candidate is a working member of The Royal Family. (spoiler: Harry and Andrew would be out)
As the final day of Royal mourning ended, another decision for the world to see. The Royal Family website was updated, and guess who was elevated? That’s right, WORKING family members were moved up in prominence, and non-working Royals (you know who they are) were moved down… Way down. (anyone sensing the theme yet?)
It’s easy to see where the new King is going.
Then on Wednesday, an unrelated, but still incredible in its timing, breaking news story.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark announced that she was removing princely titles from four of her grandchildren, the children of her second son. A statement said her decision was in keeping with moves made by other Royal Families. (see Sweden and Spain)
But Queen Margrethe might have added: Charles, over to you!
So, what options does the new King have? Patricia Treble, of Write Royalty, presented an excellent overview of four possible options on her blog, here.
Treble wrote that King Charles could take a “siblings not cousins” approach. It would keep titles as streamlined as possible, with children in direct line entitled to HRH, but not their cousins. For example, George and his children would be in, and his siblings, Charlotte and Louis, would have titles, but their children wouldn’t.
As for existing Royals, she suggested The King could follow the Danish or Swedish route, depending on the level of news he wanted to make! As it would mean removing some, or all, Royal titles and styles from non-working members. Prince Harry or Princess Eugenie become plain old Harry and Eug, for example.
(Removing the princely titles or HRH, simply requires a new Letters Patent. Removing a dukedom would require an Act of Parliament. There’s been much hand wringing about that, but I believe whatever is decided, will be fast tracked. As people wiser than I have said, once they decide the desired outcome, they’ll do what’s necessary to achieve it.)
I personally think that King Charles is not going to do anything that looks as if he is singling out Harry, or his family. Any of Treble’s proposals would work to avoid that.
I also don’t think The King will demote older royals. Sticking to his ‘working vs. non-working’ litmus test, solves that.
Based on the moves he’s made; I believe the simple question The King will consider when making this decision is: Who is here and working?
According to The Sunday Times, Harry had a “brief discussion” with his father about titles after Queen Elizabeth died. Given a “slimmed down” system has been discussed in the UK since the 1990s, and openly known within the family, his thinking seems naive at best.
“Harry is understood to have expressed his desire to let his children decide when they are older, and to have emphasised that would only be possible if they were allowed to retain their titles now. The conversation is understood to have ended unresolved, and to have left the Sussexes dismayed.”
But, in 15–18 years, when Harry’s children are of age, the option for titles will be less likely, not more likely, based on the system. There will be an ageing King and Queen, a mature Prince and Princess of Wales, and now adult Wales children. George or Charlotte may even be married, and if or when they have children, the Sussexes fall behind even more.
When titles are barely an option now, it’s inconceivable to think they could assume them in the future.
It’s important to note, that despite the anger and hostilities online and elsewhere, we were going to find ourselves having this discussion even if Harry had married an English aristocrat. It’s irresponsible, and frankly malicious, for some people to twist this to stoke conflict and division.
You cannot stop the tide. This is the direction all Royal Families have been heading, and it has gained momentum in recent years.
As a study by the UCL Constitution Unit found, monarchies can survive and even thrive, by following several rules. One of the most important:
“Keep the team small. The greater the size of the royal family, the greater the risk that one of its members may get into trouble, with criticism about excessive cost and too many hangers-on.”
Princess Anne, always ahead of the curve, followed the slimmed down approach before it was a thing, refusing titles for her two children, Peter and Zara. Both have been successful, and both have publicly said their mother made the right decision.
Even Princess Eugenie implied her title was a hindrance during an interview in 2008:
“How do I play the princess thing? I don’t really,” says Princess Eugenie. “I don’t like talking about it much and find it annoying when people say things like, “Oh, you’re the princess.” One of my best friends jokingly says, “Hi, Princess,” and I say, “Shut up”. It is one of the things that bugs me most in the world.”
The King might decide not to change anything for current Royals, as you can see how sweeping a change it could be, affecting not just Harry, but the Yorks, and older Kents. His decision may be for future generations only.
I wonder could the princely titles be removed, but dukedoms left? After all, if a woman divorced from a member of the Royal Family can trot around the globe as “Sarah, Duchess of York” all these years, wouldn’t “Harry, Duke of Sussex” and “Andrew, Duke of York” be just as suitable?
We’ll see what The King decides. Watch what happens in the months after the Coronation…
(update March 2023: In a surprise move, the Sussexes decided to start using the Prince/Princess titles their children were afforded by the 1917 Letters Patent. The King can issue a new Letters Patent at any time, and he’s most certainly not going to rush one out ahead of schedule because of decisions made in California. Remember it will affect other family members as well.)
Thank you for your thoughtful post, so refreshing to read a rational and considered discussion of the possibilities. It feels virtually certain that change is coming. I suspect both princely titles and styles for non-working Royals will go, unless honorably retired. Thinking about timing, this feels like a reform for a Monarch's first year. Why wait longer than September?
Thoughtful post, and something I have long thought would happen. I have every faith King Charles will do the right thing based on his understanding of how things work, I would not dare suggest anything as I don't know the full workings within the Royal Family. I feel that the Dukedom will be removed too, as Queen Elizabeth herself said that there wasn't enough Dukedom to go around as there is too many of them. So I believe, or hope, that King Charles will ask for current Dukedom to die out with older members, but removed completely for younger members. That way the Dukedom will be reverted back into the Royal family for future use, especially for Prince Williams children and their children.