It was the Instagram post viewed ‘round the world. An overstatement? Perhaps, but when Meghan Markle’s friend and IT Cosmetics co-founder, Jamie Kern Lima, posted a pic following their podcast interview this week showing a personalized gift from the Duchess of Sussex where she uses her “HRH” title, the backlash was swift.
Will Prince William Really Remove Harry & Meghan’s Royal Titles?
In a word, no
Published May 1, 2025
•10:00pm
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Here’s what happened: While welcoming Meghan as a guest on her podcast, The Jamie Kern Lima Show, the pair reminisced about a moment when Meghan delivered a thoughtful gift basket to Jamie’s house. Meghan’s friend was hosting guests and overwhelmed—cue the delivery from the duchess, which included two pints of ice cream, a jar of homemade jam and, uh oh, a printed card that read, “With compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex” along with Meghan’s royal cipher.
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The reason this is a potential problem? When Prince Harry and Meghan walked away from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, an arrangement was made with then-monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II, that they could retain their HRH titles, so long as they didn’t use them publicly or for commercial purposes, according to the BBC.
That’s why this single post kicked off an online hubbub about how Meghan’s gift to her pal violates that agreement—plus plenty of headlines proclaiming that this is officially the moment that their royal titles should be rescinded. (Many a report is stating that this will be one of Prince William’s first actions as king.)
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But here’s why this action is highly unlikely. First, Meghan sent the gift basket to a close friend. That’s hardly a violation of the royal terms set out for the Sussexes in 2020 and definitely not a public or commercial use. Additionally, the monarch—currently, King Charles—doesn’t actually have the power to remove anyone’s royal titles, according to People. Instead, it would require legislative action by Parliament, though the “Removal of Titles Bill” was recently introduced to give the monarch more direct control over removing royal titles. (So far, this has yet to be enacted into law.)
Still, we can’t see a world where this is a priority for William, no matter how bad things currently are between the royal brothers. After all, the Prince of Wales was the one who fought for his mother, Princess Diana, to retain her HRH status post-divorce. (She ultimately was stripped of it, but William for sure understands its value and why Prince Harry—who was born into his royal role—deserves to keep it.)
Another day, another overblown royal drama? It seems so.
