Prince William will 'strip' Prince Harry's kids' titles when he's king
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted royal titles for their children — and in 2022, they got them.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son, who was born Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, became Prince Archie, and their daughter, born Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, became Princess Lilibet.
But some royal experts now believe their titles may not be permanent.
A new report suggests that once Prince William becomes king, he could move to remove his nephew and niece's titles — and possibly even Harry and Meghan's titles as well — amid his ongoing feud with his brother and an alleged plan to further slim down the monarchy.
As Woman & Home magazine's royal editor, Emily Andrews, argued in the publication's latest issue, "To me, it's obvious that King William will, at the very least, strip Archie and Lili of their prince/princess titles."
The suggestion comes after King Charles III took the extraordinary step in late 2025 of removing the royal style, titles and honors of his scandal-plagued younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — previously known as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York — amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Why Archie and Lili are vulnerable
In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle said she and Prince Harry were told their son would not be a prince or receive security, meaning the first person of color in the family would not being titled the same way as other royal grandchildren. By: MEGA
Archie, 6, and Lili, 4, did not receive prince and princess titles when they were born because, at the time, they were great-grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II and therefore outside the scope of a century-old royal rule.
That changed in September 2022 when Charles took the throne following his mother's death at 96.
Under a 1917 decree issued by King George V, the children of the monarch's sons automatically become prince and princess — meaning Harry and Meghan's children immediately qualified since they are grandchildren of the sovereign through the male line.
But while those titles arrived automatically, some royal experts believe they may not be untouchable forever.
Andrews suggested that once Charles is succeeded by William, the current Prince of Wales could take steps to remove all Sussex titles "under the guise," she wrote, of building a more modern royal family.
Given the Sussexes' repeated public criticisms of Harry's family since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020, experts have long speculated that little will be off the table once William is in charge.
Similar claims
The same possibilities were raised by author Tom Bower in his new book Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family.
Bower claimed Harry was deeply rattled as he watched Andrew's royal dismantling unfold.
"The tremors of the unprecedented sanctions against Andrew must have shocked Harry," Bower wrote, as reported by HELLO!, adding that the Duke of Sussex realized "his own royal status was no longer invincible."
Bower also suggested that William's anger toward Harry and Meghan — particularly over what the author characterized as the former Suits actress' commercial use of her royal status — could eventually affect the Sussex children.
According to Bower, once the Prince of Wales is king, he "might well show no mercy to [Harry] and Meghan."
Bower added that William would "undoubtedly rail against her disloyalty," warning, "He might even strip Archie and Lilibet of their titles."
