Can Prince William really strip Harry and Meghan's 'HRH' titles? Yes and no

Meghan Markle’s use of her former royal styling has reignited a familiar question: can the Sussexes actually be stripped of their titles?

Turns out, the answer isn’t so simple.

Despite ongoing speculation — including claims that Prince William might revoke his brother’s titles when he becomes King — royal experts say the monarch doesn’t have that kind of power, per People magazine.

When Queen Elizabeth granted Prince Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles in 2018, it became a matter of British law. Removing such titles would require an act of Parliament, not a royal decree.

That could change. A proposed “Removal of Titles Bill” aimed to give either the monarch or a parliamentary committee power to revoke titles, but it hasn’t become law.

Still, Meghan’s recent use of “HRH” had Prince William fuming, per a Daily Beast report published April 29. 

A gift basket she sent to her pal Jamie Kern Lima, included a note that read, “With compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex,” below her personal royal cipher.

According to public law professor Master Graham Zellick, the HRH honorific is easier to remove. 

“It could be withdrawn by the King, a decision that would not be amenable to judicial review,” he wrote. “Removal of the honorific on the basis of giving up the role of a working member of the royal family and living abroad could hardly be faulted.”

As for Harry’s title of Prince? That’s tied to his birth and isn’t likely to change.