The Royal Family website has been quietly updated over the past couple of days, and some major changes have been made to how Prince Harry is referred to. Particularly, in the removal of 'His Royal Highness' status.
For some context, the Express reported on Friday 4 August that his bio still included his HRH title. However, on Tuesday 8 August, they noticed that it had been removed in two separate references - both of which were tied to the Prince's work to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in 2016. Since the update, he is now referred to as 'the Duke' or the 'Duke of Sussex.' Even though Harry received his dukedom two years later in 2018 when he married Suits actor, Meghan Markle.
When reporting on Harry's HRH title on the site last week, the Express also noted that other parts of the site still hadn't been updated following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September last year. The outlet reported that she was still referred to as the current monarch and that King Charles III was named the 'Prince of Wales.' Plus, that Queen Camilla was also still styled as 'the Duchess of Cornwall.'
Upon their second look on Tuesday, it's clear that these alterations have now been made, too. As when landing on the website, both Charles and Camilla are now labelled as the King and Queen.
In terms of Harry's 'His Royal Highness' moniker being retracted on the site though, remember that the Duke had actually already given up the title in 2020 when he and Meghan stepped down as senior Royals. So really, the removal was a little overdue anyway.
In an official statement issued by Buckingham Palace in January 2020, it was announced that "the Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family."
Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader's Digest, ITV's Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024.
