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Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal life

14 May 2024 , 14:49
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Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as working royal in January 2020 - less than two years after their wedding (Image: Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as working royal in January 2020 - less than two years after their wedding (Image: Getty Images)

Prince Harry faced a personal setback this week when his older brother Prince William was made Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps by their father King Charles.

It's been seen as a major snub to Harry given that 662 Squadron with which Harry served in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan in 2012 was part of the corp. And according to reports, the honour would have likely been given to the Duke had he not chosen to step down as a working member of the royal family in 2020.

It's by no means the only thing that Harry has lost since he quit royal life. We take a look at all the patronages and titles he and wife Meghan had to give back.

Prince Harry

Military

Harry, who served on the frontline in Afghanistan, had to forfeit a number of military titles upon leaving royal life. He is no longer the Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington in Suffolk, or Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Commands' Small Ships and Diving.

He is also unable to wear his ceremonial royal uniforms, including at his late grandmother's funeral in September 2022. It's something that has greatly bothered Harry, particularly since his uncle Prince Andrew is.

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Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeThe Prince is no longer entitled to wear his military uniform since he no longer serves nor is he a working royal (Getty Images)

Andrew resigned from public roles in May 2020, and his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages were removed by the Queen in January 2022. However, he still retains the rank of Vice-Admiral and is therefore entitled to wear the uniform.

When Harry chose to no longer be a working Royal he had to give up his military appointments, and therefore no long holds any military rank. Notably, he was wearing a morning suit for his father's Coronation; royal protocol bars non-working members of the royal family from wearing military uniforms to official state occasions.

The King did give his son special permission to wear his uniform while standing vigil at the late Queen's coffin alongside Prince William and Her Majesty's six other grandchildren.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifePrince Harry wears his medals at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games (AFP via Getty Images)

He is also able to wear his medals. The Prince has been awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, which was awarded to all those in active service on February 6, 2002, who had been in the forces for five years.

He also received an Afghanistan Operational Service Medal to mark his service at the frontline in Helmand Province.

In 2012, he was given the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal to mark his grandmother's 60th year on the throne in 2012. It was given to all those in the Armed Forces, emergency services, prison services and members of the Royal Household.

And in 2022, Harry was bestowed with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal. The Prince also has the KCVO Star, which recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch.

Following his father's ascension to the throne, Harry received the King's Coronation medal, given to him and others involved in the King's formal ascension to the throne last May. But tellingly, he has chosen not to wear it during recent appearances.

Sports

Rugby fan Harry relinquished his role as patron of the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League – both positions now held by his sister-in-law Princess Kate. He is also no longer patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeHarry lost his rugby patronages following his royal exit (Getty Images)

Charities

The Queen's Commonwealth Trust was launched on 21 April 2018 (Queen Elizabeth II's 92nd birthday) with her patronage and her grandson Prince Harry as president. After their marriage, Harry's wife Meghan was appointed vice president later that year. But both had to give up their titles following their royal exit.

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Prince Harry still retains some private patronages: African Parks, Dolen Cymru, the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, Invictus Games, MapAction, Rhino Conservation Botswana charity, Sentebale, and WellChild.

Meghan Markle

The Queen previously bestowed two royal patronages on Meghan following her marriage to Harry - but she lost both after stepping down.

She is no longer patron of The National Theatre, where she was replaced by Queen Camilla, nor the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Meghan also had to give up her role as vice-president of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

She has retained two private patronages: Smart Works and animal charity Mayhew.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeMeghan received two patronages from the Queen following her wedding (Getty Images)

What else have the couple lost?

Titles

Since quitting royal life, Harry and Meghan are no longer permitted to use the HRH titles of His or Her Royal Highness.

They are still known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It would take an act of parliament to strip Prince Harry of his dukedom and therefore Meghan's duchess title.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeThe couple were stripped of their HRH titles (Getty Images)

Security

Harry has been especially vocal about the loss of the couple's security. They lost those benefits when the couple moved to Canada in 2020 and stopped being working royals.

He has argued that he had been treated unfairly in the changes to his police protection, and has since launched legal action against the Home Office for not allowing him to pay for his own police protection while in the UK.

However, earlier this year Harry lost a High Court challenge against the government over his security when he is back in Britain.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeHarry lost his High Court challenge in February 2024 (Getty Images)

The ruling reiterated that the committee deciding on security for royalty, VIPs and senior public figures - known as Ravec - was entitled to have made its decision over changing Prince Harry's protection when his status changed and he stopped being a working member of the Royal Family.

Frogmore Cottage

The couple no longer have an official UK residence. In early 2023, as they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate which was gifted to them as a wedding present by the late Queen.

Harry and Meghan refurbished the property, owned by the Crown Estate, at an estimated cost of £2.4m in 2018-19. The cost was initially covered by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant before being repaid in full by the duke.

Every title Harry and Meghan have lost since quitting royal lifeHarry and Meghan were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage (REX/Shutterstock)

They were reportedly told to leave the property by Buckingham Palace in January, days after Harry published his explosive memoir, Spare.

Family relationships

Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family is all but non-existent. Following their decision to step down, they have been vocal in criticising the institution - and even specific members of the family - publicly.

The couple's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey made clear the Sussexes were going to be open with their grievances - but it was Harry's explosive memoir Spare that seems to be the final nail in the coffin.

From alleging physical fights with his brother William to branding his father's wife Camilla 'dangerous', Harry's relationship with his royal relatives has continued to deteriorate, with no signs of a reunion any time soon.

Gemma Strong

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