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After Prince Andrew announced he would no longer use his Duke of York title, it has raised questions over whether it should be removed.
The British royal made a statement sharing the news on October 17, after a series of scandals saw the royal family and the public lose confidence in him.
However, after it was revealed that his dukedom was being held in abeyance instead of stripped, it has been called a “hollow gesture”.
How is a royal title removed?
Over the years there have been many calls for Prince Andrew and Prince Harry to have their titles stripped from them.
But this is actually something which is quite difficult to do. It is so hard that that it hasn’t actually happened in over 100 years.
Andrew has agreed to not use his Duke of York title, which was given to him by the late Queen Elizabeth on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson.
However if he did not consent, it would take an act of parliament to forcibly remove it.
If this did happen, Andrew would still also continue to be a prince.
This was a title that was conferred on him at birth as the son of Queen Elizabeth II.
This would only change if a new letters patent was issued by King Charles.
Both processes would likely be long and drawn out.
There have also been steps taken over the years to diminish Prince Andrew’s royal standing, including having a bill passed in December 2022 that allowed Princess Anne and Prince Edward to act as counsellors of state.
Andrew had already stepped down from royal duties at the time over his relationship with convicted sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
Could Prince Harry lose his title next?
After several years of bashing his royal relatives and their way of life, there have also been calls for Prince Harry to lose his dukedom.
Having started a new life in the USA with wife Meghan Markle, the pair continue to use the title which was conferred upon them on their wedding day.
Professionally and personally, the couple are known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan has also revealed they use Sussex as the family last name.
Given that his Uncle Andrew didn’t have his title stripped off him, it seems inconceivable that such drastic action would be taken against Harry.
However, if Harry was to continue to embarrass the royal family, he could be asked to voluntarily stop using it.
This request could be made by King Charles, or later by Prince WIlliam during his eventual reign.
Harry and Meghan were asked to stop using their HRH styling, which denotes a senior member of the family, as part of their agreement to step down from royal duties in 2020.
However, a note from Meghan on a basket goodies sent to Jamie Kern Lima showed she still uses the styling.
A source close to the Sussex’s at the time said they don’t use the styling for commercial purposes but continue to use it personally.
Given such, it seems unlikely that Harry would voluntarily give up his dukedom without a fight.
