Another day, another piece of drama within the United Kingdom's Royal Family.
In this case, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has stirred controversy after revealing she uses the "Her Royal Highness" title during a podcast episode with Jamie Kern Lima, a business woman known for her work in the cosmetics industry.
According to GB News, Meghan's use of the "Her Royal Highness" title is frowned upon because of an agreement the Duchess made with Queen Elizabeth before her and Prince Harry officially stepped down as working members of the Royal Family.
The Sandringham Agreement, which was reached five years ago, was initiated because the Royal Family did not want Harry and Meghan monetizing their titles while being separated from the royals' traditional infrastructure.
Meghan's use of the "Her Royal Highness" title has been going on for a while. During their podcast episode, Kern Lima confirmed that Meghan sent her a card with the signature "With the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex" around a year ago.
Meghan's casual usage of the title has drawn criticism since it's another example of her foregoing tradition while her and Prince Harry continue to build a life together. However, the Sandringham Agreement, on its own, never had the power to keep Meghan from using her titles either way.
What's really going on here?
Despite the criticism levied towards Meghan right now, she's actually within her rights as a member of the Royal Family right now.
People Magazine explains that the removal of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's titles would require an act of Parliament. However, the proposed "Removal of Titles Bill" would give the acting monarch a chance to remove titles on their own without Parliament's intervention.
This would be a problem for Meghan and Harry since sources knowledgeable about the Royal Family's drama claim that Prince William would revoke the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's use of the "HRH" title once he becomes King.
An article published on Yahoo.com also points out that Prince William wouldn't possess the power to do so as the law currently stands. However, William has not appreciated Harry and Meghan's behavior over the years and could deal with them "more harshly" than King Charles has.
Marlene Koenig, a royal historian and expert, told US Weekly that "there’s nothing wrong with them [using the "HRH" title], but who are they representing is the question. They’re not representing the sovereign.”
Koenig's comments show that Harry and Meghan would be in the clear if they had a better relationship with their relatives. Unfortunately, Harry's recent legal battle in the UK shows that his relationship with the Royal Family may never be the same.