Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children may be denied "prince" and "princess" titles if the couple trashes the monarchy on Netflix, a royal biographer says.
Katie Nicholl, the author of the recently released book, The New Royals, said her contacts told her King Charles III would not stand back and let the institution of monarchy be "tarnished."
Her comments came during a debate about whether Harry and Meghan will release a Netflix documentary about their lives, which is widely anticipated in the media but has never been confirmed by either the couple or the streaming giant.
Nicholl suggested Harry and Meghan's own titles may also be under threat, depending on what the series might contain.
"We could be prepared to see the King's ruthless side in all of this. He's not going to stand back and let the family or the institution or the reputation of the Crown, which is everything to him, be tarnished or indeed trashed. Certainly not by two members of the family," the author told GB News.
"It's no coincidence, I don't think, that we haven't seen titles bestowed on Archie and Lilibet," she said. "I think that whole issue of titles is up for discussion. That trust, that respect, has to be earned. I don't think they're going to get those titles if they are seen to be tarnishing the institution.
"And I think perhaps, there might be a question mark over the future of Harry and Meghan's titles, potentially, if they are seen to be deliberately tarnishing the reputation of the monarchy."
Nicholl said the March 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview showed Harry and Meghan were "not afraid to be critical of the institution" with "some pretty low blows."
The George V convention suggests the grandchildren of the Monarch, which since the death of Queen Elizabeth II now includes Archie and Lilibet, would be known as "prince" or "princess."
There has been no announcement on whether the titles will be given to the Sussex children and sources have told Newsweek that the period after the queen's death was not considered the right time to tackle that question.
However, almost a month has passed since her funeral, which was held on September 19, and there is still no announcement on Archie and Lilibet's fate.
Robert Jobson, author of Charles at Seventy and William at 40, said he believed that titles would be available to the Sussex children if Harry and Meghan were willing to make an issue out of it—though without the prefix "His/Her Royal Highness."
"I think HRH is definitely not going to happen. It's the HRH bit that brings with it all the security and the issues and the money and the cost. If Harry and Meghan really want to force the issue and make them Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet then I'm sure that will be allowed," Jobson told Newsweek.
"But common sense might prevail here to make them realize they don't actually need to have them," he said. "What happened with Princess Anne's children is it turned out to be a very sensible decision. They went out into the commercial world with their names without the titles.
"With the titles, it feels a bit arcane and unnecessary when you're not really acting as that person. I don't think Charles would deny it if they really want it," he added. "I don't think the Netflix show will have any impact on it whatsoever. Charles has bigger fish to fry."
Meghan tied the question of titles for her children to her allegations of racism during her interview with Oprah and said it was linked to the question of whether he would be offered police protection.
"All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment that I don't personally have, right? I've been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess. I've always just still been Meghan, right?" she said.
"So, for me, I'm clear on who I am, independent of all that stuff. And the most important title I will ever have is Mom. I know that. But the idea of our son not being safe, and also the idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be . . .
She added: "So we have in tandem the conversation of 'He won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
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About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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