Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'on borrowed time' following 'ruthless' royal decision
A royal expert predicts that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be stripped of their royal titles(Image: Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images)The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be running out of time with their royal titles, according to a royal expert who claims their 'ongoing betrayals' are seen as a growing risk to the monarchy. Biographer Tom Bower suggests that the recent "ruthless" move to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his Duke and Prince titles should act as a strong warning of what might happen once Prince William becomes king.King Charles’s younger brother also lost his Royal Lodge residence of two decades after further reports emerged about his long association with Jeffrey Epstein. "For Harry, it was an unbelievable shock that the King could strip Andrew of his titles, including Prince, and it changes everything," he tells the Mirror. "He must really fear that William will strip him, Meghan and the children of their titles when he succeeds to the throne.“They are on borrowed time and vulnerable now, because I don’t think there is anything they can do to reverse the hurt they have caused Kate and William, and William is still furious.”Harry and Meghan still hold their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles despite stepping back from the Royal Family(Image: John Nacion/WireImage/Getty Images)Their continual betrayals of the royal family extend well beyond revealing private details about Prince William and Kate in Harry's memoir Spare, and according to Tom, many of these actions are simply too serious to forgive.The most significant blow came from their eye-opening 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, a year after stepping down as working royals. Tom adds that the risk of them making similar revelations in the future is simplytoo big of a risk for William to endure."The Sussexes have a real problem because Meghan isn’t making any serious money and nor is Harry really, so the threat is they’ll do something foolish and damaging to the royal family."They are uncontrolled, so the danger lies in Meghan maybe writing her own memoir, or doing another interview like Oprah Winfrey. The legacy of that interview cannot be overestimated and Meghan’s accusations that the royal family is racist still echo. Who knows what else she might say in the future?"Tom says the legacy of the couple's Oprah Winfrey interview 'cannot be over overestimated'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Another key point of tension since the couple relocated to Montecito, California, has been Meghan's continued use of her royal titles.When the couple stepped down as working royals, it was agreed with the Palace that they would no longer use their His/Her Royal Highness titles publicly, though they were allowed to retain them. At the time, the arrangement was compared to the one made with Andrew, then Duke of York.But when Meghan sent a gift to IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima in April, accompanied by a card that read, "With the Compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex," it sparked questions over whether she was violating the terms of their agreement.Several outlets cited "sources close to the couple" defending the monogrammed card, insisting it was part of a personal gift and not connected to her As Ever brand or any other commercial ventures.The card that caused controversy over Meghan's use of her royal titles(Image: Jamie Kern Lima/YouTube)Meghan’s interview with Harper’s Bazaar earlier this month reignited the debate, thanks to a peculiar anecdote shared in the piece. Reflecting on her meeting with Meghan, journalist Kaitlyn Greenidge wrote: “When I enter, the house manager announces, ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,’ even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house.”According to Tom, whose second tell-all book on the Sussexes is set to be released next year, the title carries significant influence for Meghan. “It’s a great trading asset, and she uses it ruthlessly and with impunity,” he claims. “It’s nothing to do with the royal family, she couldn’t care two hoots about that, she just uses it to give herself the status she craves.He continues: "I don’t think Meghan realised until Harry told her that his uncle had lost his title, that that is a reality. I don’t think she, or any of us, realised they could be so ruthless. I can only imagine she’s now sitting there thinking, ‘What are we going to do?’ Because without the titles, who is she? But she is betraying the royal family every time she uses the title."Tom says Meghan uses her title as a 'trading asset', to boost her profile as a businesswoman(Image: Getty Images for Fortune Media)The explosive announcement from Buckingham Palace that King Charles, 77, had formally stripped his brother of his "style, titles and honours" came just weeks after Andrew, 65, gave up his Duke of York title.While it did not explicitly mention Epstein, who died in a federal prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial, the statement read: "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him."But Tom believes stripped Meghan and Harry of their titles would not be an easy decision, and it won't be King Charles's signature on the paper.He states: "With the Sussexes’ titles, it’s a rock and a hard place for the royal family. The only way to undermine Meghan’s status, although it would look like sour grapes, is to take away her title."And it won’t happen during Charles’s lifetime. He will only act on William’s pressure and there’s no reason ostensibly at the moment to strip them of their titles, they haven’t done anything embarrassing, other than using it to trade on. They would have to be very careful about how they do it, but I think it is inevitable."
