Update 1/18: The Queen and Buckingham Palace have issued a statement updating the public on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from royal duties. According to the Buckingham Palace statement, "The Sussexes are no longer part of the Royal Family and will not use the title HRH."

Several royal correspondents took to Twitter to clarify what this means for Harry and Meghan's titles going forward.

"Harry will retain HRH as Prince, but will not use his title," wrote Rebecca English (open in new tab).

Buckingham Palace also explained in its statement that stepping down from royal duties would include an official military appointment.

"To be clear, Harry will no longer be a Marine Corps General, Hon. Air Commodore, Admiral General, or Youth Amabassador. He and Megan will maintain the M patronage she took on last year, including President and Vice President of @Queenscomtrust (opens in new tab), as well as Sentebale and Invictus," Emily Andrews added (opens in new tab).

Update 1/14: As noted below, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shown no sign of relinquishing their title, but the Queen retains the power to strip them of the title "Duke and Duchess of Sussex" if she sees fit. And in Monday's statement, the queen may have indicated that she is considering it: in the rather lengthy queen's statement (opens in new tab), she did not refer to Meghan and Harry by the titles she has given them. Instead, she refers to them as "Meghan and Harry" or "my grandchildren and their families." In previous statements by the Royal Family, the two have been referred to by their respective official titles.

The Queen's statement notes that a "transition period" is next, so perhaps within that period it will be clear whether their titles will be retained, lost, or lost in part. For example, Diana was known as "Princess of Wales" after her divorce, but was no longer considered "Her Royal Highness."

Original article I wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall at Buckingham Palace today. Summary: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that they are effectively ending their relationship with the royal family (opens in new tab), stepping down from their duties, becoming financially independent, and moving to North America on a part-time basis. The Queen's office fired back (opens in new tab), saying the rest of the family was "disappointed" and that there was still much to be resolved. Such as: will Meghan and Harry remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?

Unless the Royal Family demands it (which I am guessing is unlikely, as there has already been too much drama of late), Harry and Meghan will not relinquish that title. Their website, which was revamped after the announcement (opens in new tab), outlines how and why they are leaving the royal family, and they are also consistently referred to as (opens in new tab) the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It goes like this: "In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the choice to move to a new work model (open in new tab).

The Q&A section also says: "Yes, there is precedent for such a structure and it applies to other current members of the Royal Family who support the monarch and have full-time jobs separate from their commitment to the monarchy."

Strictly speaking, there is no such mechanism.

Strictly speaking, the Queen has the power to strip Meghan and Harry of their titles, and one should assume that the people on Twitter are suggesting that the Queen is at least thinking about it:

At least for now, Meghan and Harry retain their titles. Unlike Kate Middleton and Prince William, whose children all hold the title of Prince or Princess, Archie's parents have chosen not to give him the title of "Earl of Dumbarton". "(Opens in new tab) Archie's last name is indeed a royal name, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (opens in new tab), but he does not have a formal title like his parents. If Harry and Meghan have another child, it is safe to assume that he or she will also not have a title.

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