‘He despises them’: Furious Prince William to axe Harry’s children from royal lineup when he’s king

Prince William is reportedly preparing to strip Prince Harry’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, of their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) titles once he becomes king. The decision follows a quiet but provocative suggestion flagged by The Guardian and later amplified by the Daily Mail, that Harry hopes to retain the HRH status for his children so they can decide for themselves if they wish to be working royals when they’re older.

Royal insiders were stunned. “William obviously isn’t going to hire Archie and Lilibet,” one friend of the prince told The Daily Beast. “This is just trolling on the part of Harry and Meghan… The idea that somehow having a vestigial HRH as a baby later entitles you to be a working royal is beyond parody.”

The relevance of HRH title

The HRH style is not a title but a royal courtesy, bestowed by letters patent, a formal decree of the monarch. It grants no legal power but carries symbolic weight in the British monarchy. Harry and Meghan agreed to stop using the HRH styling when they stepped down from royal duties in 2020, a deal forged at the now-infamous Sandringham Summit with Queen Elizabeth II.

But royal sources claim Meghan has since privately used her HRH and even allowed others to address her as such, what one former palace staffer calls “a betrayal of the Queen’s trust.”

Adding to the frustration, a source close to William told The Daily Beast that he is likely to issue new letters patent to formally strip the HRH styling from Harry’s entire family. “They have asked the Sussexes politely to stop using the style, to no avail,” the source said. “This won’t stand.”

Experts say the monarch has the power to revoke HRH status at will. “It’s essentially like an executive order,” said Norman Baker, a former government minister. “And William could clean house when he takes the throne—possibly limiting HRH to children of the monarch only.”

For Harry and Meghan, the move would be a symbolic blow, especially as Harry reportedly wants his children to have the option of a royal future.

But as one palace source put it: “Charles may not want this fight, but William despises Harry and Meghan at this stage, and when he is king, his fury will rain down on them.”