Strip Harry and Meghan of their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, readers say

The Sussexes (pictured on a royal tour in South Africa three years ago) retain their HRH titles but have chosen not to use them

The public want Buckingham Palace to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a Mail+ poll has found.

By last night some 9,700 readers had voted, with an overwhelming 98 per cent declaring: Off with their titles.

The titles were bestowed by the late Queen, Harry’s grandmother, when the couple married in 2018, along with his subsidiary titles as Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.

But last night royal experts pointed out a constitutional problem. They warned that if the Sussexes’ titles as duke and duchess were revoked, Harry would still be entitled to be addressed as Prince Harry, as he is a prince by birth. That situation would see Meghan automatically become Princess Harry (or strictly Princess Henry), which one royal insider said ‘she might even prefer’.

The heat is expected to further intensify after the debut of their upcoming Netflix series

Her late Majesty (pictured in 2015) bestowed the titles upon Harry and Meghan in 2018

They added: ‘The best thing to happen would be for Harry to voluntarily renounce all his royal titles – which one might expect him to do since he appears to hate the monarchy and his family so much.

Their hotly awaited series arrives on Netflix

‘Unless he is only clinging on to them because that helps them make more money.’

The issue clearly rankles with Harry as he has called his forthcoming memoir Spare and his new Netflix series is entitled simply Harry And Meghan.

The couple retain but no longer use their HRH titles after they quit as working royals, but Harry remains fifth in line to the throne.

Last year Harry said of his memoir, which is due to be published next month: ‘I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become.’