Prince Harry hasn’t been a working member of the royal family since his move to the US in 2020, and the decision is still having repercussions.
According to Page Six, King Charles is considering removing the Duke of Sussex from his list of legal stand-ins, along with his disgraced brother Prince Andrew and his niece Princess Beatrice. Per the 1937 Regency Act, four royals in line for the throne—as well as the monarch’s spouse—are basically on call to serve in the king’s stead should he be out of the country or otherwise indisposed.
While Queen Elizabeth tapped Charles, Prince William, Harry, and Andrew for these positions, the new king is reportedly hoping to replace his second son and younger brother. “It is believed that the King recognises the incongruity of having a trio of non-working Royals able to step into his shoes if he is abroad or incapacitated,” The Telegraph reported, per Page Six, adding that Charles will reportedly have the “law changed as soon as he can.”
According to reports, the king is likely to add his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, to his list of stand-ins, but “any changes will have to be enacted by the Houses of Parliament.”
Considering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a conscious decision to step back from their senior royal duties and move across the ocean, it’s unlikely the Duke of Sussex will be too brokenhearted over this change. The real point of contention regarding their working royal status seems to revolve around their young children, Archie and Lilibet.
While the queen was still alive, the Sussex children were denied their HRH titles, which caused major security concerns for Meghan and Harry. Upon her death, Archie and Lilibet were reportedly automatically upgraded to prince and princess as the grandchildren of the current monarch, but that’s once again up in the air thanks to King Charles and his obsession with “working royals.”
The king is reportedly planning to reach a decision after the queen’s official mourning period is up on September 26, but expect to hear that phrase over and over again until then.
