The Duchess of Sussex is still using her HRH title despite an agreement that she and her husband entered into not to use their royal prefixes after their break with the royal family.
The breach emerged in a podcast interview broadcast on YouTube in which the duchess was interviewed by her friend Jamie Kern Lima, the founder of IT Cosmetics.
During the interview, an image was shown of a gift basket of ice cream and homemade strawberry sauce that Meghan had sent to Kern Lima. It featured a note printed on monogrammed paper which read: “With the compliments of HRH the Duchess of Sussex.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day
STEVE PARSONS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The duke, 40, and duchess, 43, stepped down as senior working royals in March 2020 to earn their own money in the United States, where they had signed deals with Spotify and Netflix.
After the couple’s break with the royal family, which became known as “Megxit”, Harry and Meghan agreed with the late Queen not to use their HRH titles in future.
The Duke of Sussex had his HRH title removed on the royal family’s website Royal.uk in late 2023. It now lists Harry and Meghan as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their respective biography pages, while others are referred to as His or Her Royal Highness.
A statement issued by the Palace in 2020 said that the couple “will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family”.
This meant that they were not able to use HRH for commercial purposes. Some critics have also called for the couple to be stripped of their Sussex title, which was granted by the late Queen when they married in May 2018.
Other terms of the agreement included the couple losing their patronages and the duke having to give up his military appointments, including captain general of the Royal Marines.
The couple made several concessions when they decided to step down as working royals
AARON CHOWN/PA
In the latest podcast episode, the duchess hinted that she might one day write a memoir. When asked whether she planned to write another book, she replied: “Yes maybe, for sure.”
She did not rule out an autobiography and added: “People are often curious about whether I’d write a memoir but I’ve got a lot of life to live before I’m there.”
Prince Harry’s memoir Spare stoked much controversy when it was released in 2023, particularly over a section detailing claims that Prince William physically attacked him.
In a 2022 interview with The Cut, Meghan said that nothing prevented her from writing a book about her experiences within the royal family. “I’ve never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking,” she stated. “I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.”
Meghan also said in the podcast that her new life with Prince Harry in California was like “a honeymoon period” after the turbulent final years they spent living in England.
She added: “You have to imagine, at the beginning it’s all butterflies — but then we immediately went into the trenches together. Right out of the gate, like six months into dating. So now seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way.”
The duchess also broke down in tears as she read out a letter from her children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
The duchess cried as she spoke about her two young children
JAMIE KERN LIMA/YOUTUBE
The mother of two became emotional as she read out: “From Archie and Lili via Papa. We love your cooking. We love your pancakes and we love, love, love your hugs. You’re the best mummy and we love you.”
Referring to the note, Meghan said: “So sweet. I also love that it’s mummy, instead of mommy, which is very British.”
Blinking back tears, she added: “I wasn’t expecting this, they’re just so great. This is why it’s so nice to have no make-up on, thank you.”
Meghan also revealed that she sent her children an email every day to create a “time capsule” that they could revisit when they are older.