It’s Time for the King to Follow European Royals and Strip Harry and Meghan of Titles: Continental Cousins Prove It’s the Only Course of Action
Writing in his latest analytical column, Daily Mail royal expert Richard Eden argues that King Charles III must confront the Sussex dilemma with immediate, decisive resolve by formally removing the royal titles and HRH styles of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Eden observes that the House of Windsor has historically maintained a somewhat condescending posture toward continental European dynasties—often dispatching Prince Edward to major overseas royal nuptials rather than the Sovereign or the Prince of Wales—yet foreign monarchs have demonstrated modern institutional discipline that Britain desperately lacks.
Eden points directly to Denmark as the benchmark for contemporary royal reform. In late 2022, former Queen Margrethe II took the bold and controversial step of stripping the princely titles and Highness designations from the four children of her younger son, Prince Joachim. Despite public friction and the emotional fallout that saw Joachim’s family relocate abroad, Margrethe acted to liberate her grandchildren from institutional restrictions while safeguarding the core integrity and taxpayers’ view of the crown.
The columnist highlights the stark contrast between Copenhagen’s courage and London’s continued paralysis. Despite stepping down as frontline working royals in 2020 and being designated as “private citizens” following their recent return to the Cotswolds, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex retain full aristocratic styles, and their children continue to use royal styling.
Eden concludes that while stripping their titles will undeniably infuriate Harry and deepen fraternal fractures, the King has a constitutional obligation to put the stability of the Crown above personal sentiment: taking this tough, necessary measure remains the only credible mechanism to restore institutional boundaries and protect the British monarchy’s future.