5 Royal Privileges Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Still Enjoy Despite Being Private Citizens

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have built a very different life since leaving the UK as non-working royals. Unexpectedly, six years later, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came back to the UK with their kids. However, a lot has changed in the six years they were away. They no longer carry out official engagements on behalf of the Crown and cannot use their HRH titles in their public or commercial lives. The King also, in his recent letter, announced them as private citizens, but that does not completely cut them and their children off from the privileges and status that come with being part of the royal family.

Despite being announced as private citizens, Harry and Markle continue to hold their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with the subsidiary titles Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. Although they agreed not to use their 'His/Her Royal Highness' styles in their public lives or commercial ventures, their peerage titles remain. Additionally, their children also have royal titles, as under rules established by King George V in 1917, grandchildren of a reigning monarch in the male line are entitled to be called prince or princess.

Interestingly, leaving royal duties does not mean giving up a place in the succession. Harry remains fifth in line to the British throne, behind his brother, Prince William, and his three children. His children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are also in the line of succession, currently holding the sixth and seventh positions. Among other perks, this is a birthright rather than something that disappears simply because Harry and Markle are no longer working royals.

Harry also retains an important constitutional connection to the monarchy through his eligibility to serve as a Counsellor of State. Under the Regency Acts, certain senior members of the royal family can be called upon to carry out some official duties on behalf of the sovereign if the monarch is temporarily absent or unable to act. While non-working royals like Harry are less likely to be called upon, his legal position means he still holds the post.

Harry and Markle are also in a very different financial position from most private citizens. The Prince has benefited from family inheritances, including money left to him by his late mother, Princess Diana, and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Their royal background also gives the couple a level of international recognition, visibility, and access that an ordinary private citizen would find almost impossible to replicate.

Lastly, Harry and Markle are free to continue supporting charitable causes and using their royal identities to draw attention to issues close to their hearts. The major difference is that their work will now be carried out privately rather than as an official royal duty. They will not be representing the monarchy but can carry on with their own.