Call for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to be stripped of royal titles

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry promised to “uphold the values of the Queen” when they left but many believe they’ve disrespected the institution.

A news.com.au poll has revealed that readers overwhelmingly believe that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be stripped of their royal titles.

When over 13,000 people were asked if Meghan Markle and Prince Harry should have the titles of His/Her Royal Highness taken away from them, 89 per cent of people believed they shouldn’t be allowed such privileges.

January 8 marked a year since Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced on Instagram that they were stepping back as senior members of the royal family and working towards becoming “financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen”.

The news apparently came as a shock to the rest of the royal family with BBC News royal correspondent Jonny Dymond tweeting: “BBC understands that no other member of the Royal Family was consulted before Harry and Meghan issued their personal statement tonight. The Palace is understood to be ‘disappointed.’”

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Meghan and Harry's Instagram post to announce they're stepping back from royal duties.

Over the next 10 days the royal family held secret talks where an agreement was reached which would see Meghan and Harry step back for 12 months and they would no longer be able to use His/Her Royal Highness.

In a year that no one could have guessed would have been plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, Harry and Meghan have mainly been holed up in their Californian mansion taking part in Zoom talks, while the rest of the senior members of the royal family have tried to carry out their duties as much as social distancing will allow.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have had a busy year with Meghan and Harry gone. Picture: Ben Birchall/Getty Images.

When asked if Harry and Meghan should return to official royal duties, news.com.au readers were divided. Of 32,242 votes, only 9 per cent thought they should return, while 46 per cent said maybe and 45 per cent said they should go it alone.

When asked if Meghan and Harry had kept their promise to “uphold the values of the Queen”, 82 per cent of news.com.au readers believed they hadn’t and instead they’d disrespected the royal institution.

The 12-month deadline to make a decision about whether Meghan and Harry will stay away permanently or come back is looming in March. Questions are now being asked about whether they can come back and what that would look like. There have also been rumours that the Sussexes will ask for an extension on their trial period.

What do you think Meghan and Harry should do in March? Have your say on all things Megxit in our poll:

Riah Matthews is the commissioning editor for news.com.au and Kidspot.