# Prince Harry and Meghan "Quitting " royal family **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139 "2020-01-08T20:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/101 "2020-01-10T05:43:44Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > She is a princess, because her husband is a prince. She is not called princess, but her nationality is irrelevant to that. Her sister-in-law is British and treated the same way as far as her title goes. Actually, she’s not. Marrying a prince does not automatically make one a princess. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/102 "2020-01-10T05:44:34Z")
> [@fedman](#): > > my bad, I should have said “Princess” No, her nationality and citizenship don’t affect how she is addressed. As the wife of a royal duke and prince of the blood, she is entitled to use the feminine form of his styles and titles. (Note, however, that she is NOT Princess Meghan, as that form is reserved for those born into royalty; she is Princess Henry of Wales, Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton, and Lady Kilkeel. Similarly, her sister-in-law is Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge etc., and her late mother-in-law was The Princess Charles, Princess of Wales and so forth.) This is based on the same “rules” that say Mr. John Doe’s wife is Mrs. John Doe. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m not sure that I’ve been persuaded that the royals are exactly overworked and underpaid, tho. How much time/effort does it take to “receive” or “meet” someone? Oh, I’m not arguing that they are OVERworked, merely that their workload is more onerous that many people appreciate. They might be receiving some personage for 15 or 30 or 60 minutes, but they had better know enough about the person and their business to speak knowledgeably for that length of time, to make that person or group feel that they are valuable and appreciated and important, which requires time in preparation. (Also, the females in the family in particular are under considerable pressure to appear beautifully turned-out; the photograph taken of the event is going out to the press, but it will also be on somebody’s mantel or Christmas card. The Queen in particular is a master at “diplomatic dressing”–wearing colors or jewelry or designers that have a connection to the person or group she’s meeting, such as her New Zealand fern brooch for receiving the Governor General of that country, or the daffodil brooch for Wales-related events.) > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Just curious, as for the date you mention, how many “occasions” would the Wessex dude’s Macedonian and Croatian activities constitute? There’s not some official set of rules for counting, but the unofficial counts tend to treat each event on behalf of a separate organization as a separate engagement, and multiple events for the same group on the same day as one engagement. That would probably yield around six events for the day (1. meeting with president, 2. kindergarten visit, 3. Sustainability Exhibition and Inclusivity Performance, 4. meet Parliament members, 5. meet Minister of Culture, and 6. dinner. I think the airport ceremony and the tour were with the Minister; I could be wrong on that. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I mean, if someone told me I could have an all-expense trip to wherever, staying in luxury hotels, eating the finest foods, but sometime during the trip I’d have to cut a ribbon or meet with some people, I’m not sure most working stiffs would consider that excessively onerous. Whoever’s paying for the trip, however, wants bang for their buck. If the Foreign Office is paying, e.g., they want a bunch of engagements crammed into each day, which is why Wessex was zipping around the Balkans instead of enjoying a leisurely day on an Adriatic beach. The royals certainly make trips to holiday destinations, usually either skiing or warm sandy beaches, but those aren’t all-expense-paid and usually don’t include any engagements at all, while the only recent paid foreign tour I recall that included any great amount of leisure time was the Sussex’s trip to southern Africa, when the Duchess and her infant son relaxed while the Duke toured landmine removal projects in Angola. More typical was the Cambridge’s tour of Pakistan: 20 or so engagements in five days, counting the days of arrival and departure. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/103 "2020-01-10T06:41:42Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Actually, she’s not. Marrying a prince does not automatically make one a princess. She absolutely is, and it absolutely does. Wives share in their husbands’ titles, barring some specific concrete action by the Crown (such as in the case of the Duchess of Windsor). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/104 "2020-01-10T06:47:26Z")
Missed the edit window due to the server: This was an unsettled issue when British princes started marrying non-royal women in the early 20th century. It was settled in 1923, when it was decided that the new Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) [had become a princess on marriage](https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness.htm#After_1917) (though as with Meghan, she was never called Princess Elizabeth). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/105 "2020-01-10T06:56:56Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > (Note, however, that she is NOT Princess Meghan, as that form is reserved for those born into royalty; she is Princess Henry of Wales, Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton, and Lady Kilkeel. Similarly, her sister-in-law is Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge etc., and her late mother-in-law was The Princess Charles, Princess of Wales and so forth.) And it’s fairly rare for that kind of stuff to actually make it into print. Like, the Countess of Wessex has been officially called “Princess Edward” [exactly once](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DPpfcwNWsAAZkEV?format=jpg) that I’m aware of (her stall in the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/106 "2020-01-10T07:05:09Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > No, not really. It used to be somewhat common for a royal to be appointed as governor general of a dominion (the Queen’s uncle, another Prince Henry, was GG of Australia in the 1940s, e.g., while Victoria’s younger son Prince Arthur held the Canadian post in the 1910s), but the idea of a non-citizen in the role doesn’t seem to have any real support anymore, regardless of who that non-citizen is. There was a bit of a kerfuffle when Michaelle Jean (a dual French and Canadian citizen) was appointed to the role of Governor-General in 2005. Although French law stated that a French citizen could not hold government positions in other countries, France stated that the law would not be enforced in Jean’s case ([cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micha%C3%ABlle_Jean)). In the end, Jean solved the problem by renouncing her French citizenship before being invested as Governor-General of Canada. So, she was _only_ Canadian during her tenure as G-G. No problem. Nowadays, Canadians aren’t in as much awe of royalty as they used to be, so if Harry was to be suggested as a possible G-G by the Canadian government of the day, I’m sure many Canadians would expect him to become a naturalized Canadian first, if he hadn’t become one already. We’re long past the days when British nobles only could occupy the position; today, we expect Canadian citizens in the position. Harry could qualify–if he became Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/107 "2020-01-10T07:05:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Similarly, she’s probably not wearing clothes from The Gap. She’s in the league of people who do not have to pay for their own clothes if they don’t want to. Pretty and famous = designer darling. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/108 "2020-01-10T07:59:43Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Many kings/queens have retired and let their son or daughter take the throne. By all reports Liz is not going to do that. Of course now we have a retired pope and we might have 2 of them so anything is possible. And even more rare, a retired Japanese emperor. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/109 "2020-01-10T08:19:04Z")
> [@fedman](#): > > Actually, I read elsewhere that because Meehan is not British she cannot be called Duchess, only wife of Duke My understanding is that Meghan is now a naturalized British citizen. I mean, seriously? What about all those foreign princes and princesses who have married into the royal family over the centuries? She’s a Duchess. With her own [coat of arms, title, and so forth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghan%2C_Duchess_of_Sussex#Titles,_styles,_and_arms). She is also a Countess and Baroness. Also gets to use “her royal highness”. So no, not “only wife of a Duke” even if she got all that by marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/110 "2020-01-10T12:55:39Z")
the reason why senior royals don’t work is so they don’t want to create conflicts of interest. For example if the place they worked got government contracts that would look bad. As I mentioned above Andrew’s daughters work but they are not senior. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/111 "2020-01-10T13:31:11Z")
I think ‘how hard can it be’…shaking hands, going to events, travelling first class, living in castles is a foolish misdirection. The point is their life is NOT their own. Think about it, they often have to smile and make nice with people of dubious politic/human rights records. Always be smiling and polite, never say anything controversial Or political AND be constant fodder for a seemingly unregulated press who can stoke racism and attack your wife and children’s privacy at will. They DON’T want to be apolitical. I believe they want to be the exact opposite. They WANT to get loudly involved in the issues they believe in, but are restricted by palace policy. I believe that’s their prime motivation. They have a privileged position, and high profile publicly and seem to deeply feel they need to use that to make a difference in the world. I say give ‘em their shot, let’s see what they can do! And I highly doubt being celebs in LA has much appeal for them. That would seem, ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’. They seem like they want a kinder gentler environment. LA doesn’t seem to fit with that. However being anywhere in NAmerica, closer to her Mom might be enough for them. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/112 "2020-01-10T15:33:57Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Amused to see the media reports of the remainder of the Royals feeling ‘hurt’ over the lack of consultation. > > I’ve also noted that the tv media seems to be condemning him for not consulting HRH, the media seem to be getting their panties in a twist, probably because they only see the Royals as an easy way to fill time and space on their mediums and they don’t like to see their easy ride walking away with two fingers stuck up at them. Media will just have to go out and find some news to report instead of listing what these two happen to be wearing and filling space with large pictures and souvenir editions. I expect that the lazy editors will react with a certain amount of spite. > > There is completely no chance of the titles being removed, not unless they intend to try usurp the throne - because that’s the sort of level of misbehavior it would take to have them stripped of their Royalness. I can understand that the two of them might want a different lifestyle. But in many respects, that’s not the point. The point is how they went about it. They have been incredibly rude and insensitive in all this. #1–They’re airing dirty family laundry in the most public way possible. #2–If you announced that you were quitting your job by sending out a press release, and your boss found out from that announcement that you were quitting, just how exactly do you think your boss would feel? Queen Elizabeth is the boss of the Royal Family. # 3–By the way, your boss in this scenario is ALSO a close family member. Do you seriously not understand why the other royals would feel unhappy about this situation? I am amazed that you would find anything amusing in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/113 "2020-01-10T15:44:58Z")
I read someplace that one of the British tabloids was about to break a story about this, which is why Harry and Meghan rushed to the announcement. It wasn’t a surprise, as they had already brought it up with Charles. He asked them for a written proposal, which they already delivered. So certainly Charles and the queen knew in advance they wanted this, and other royals may also have heard. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/114 "2020-01-10T16:56:14Z")
The Queen is a family member of Meghan but I would not say she is close family. It’s not like they hang out together. They only met a few years back. As for Harry, Queen is not his boss, she’s his grandmother. The Queen is lucky the Brits still let her pretend she is in charge of the country when she is not. Lots of other countries have gotten rid of their king/queen like we did here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/115 "2020-01-10T17:30:59Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The Queen is a family member of Meghan but I would not say she is close family. It’s not like they hang out together. They only met a few years back. As for Harry, Queen is not his boss, she’s his grandmother. Oh, she’s his boss alright. There’s a reason the Royal Family is sometimes called the Firm. > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The Queen is lucky the Brits still let her pretend she is in charge of the country when she is not. Lots of other countries have gotten rid of their king/queen like we did here in the US. Thanks for the flyby insult to our head of state, and the nation in general. Maybe you’d like to start a thread on the pluses and minuses of a constitutional monarchy. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/116 "2020-01-10T17:52:44Z")
Not an insult, just the truth. Or is she really in control? Of course I should add I would rather have her 1000 times over Trump to be our president. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/117 "2020-01-10T18:52:50Z")
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=400&width=400&href=https://www.facebook.com/TheHookOfficial/videos/2740639886017131/ ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/118 "2020-01-10T20:20:56Z")
According to this morning’s paper a majority of Canadians would like to see him as GG. The GG does not have to be a citizen. Strictly speaking, even the PM doesn’t have to be a citizen, although he could not be in parliament and would have to sit in the visitor’s gallery. He was quoted on the radio this morning saying that the paparazzi hounded his mother to death and now were after his wife. With a goodly dose of racism thrown in.He said that every time he sees a reporter, the moment of hearing Diana’s death comes back to him. She can work immediately and, as the wife of a US citizen, he can get a green card and also work. I don’t know how long it will take but I bet it will be expedited. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/119 "2020-01-10T20:38:09Z")
he won’t get a green card right away , he has to get in line with everyone else but he will get it eventually. I doubt Trump or the Senate will help him get a green card sooner since they know Meghan is a liberal. I don’t think just the house can speed up the process. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/120 "2020-01-10T20:50:27Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > They DON’T want to be apolitical. I believe they want to be the exact opposite. They WANT to get loudly involved in the issues they believe in, but are restricted by palace policy. I believe that’s their prime motivation. **elbows** , what makes you believe this? I mean, it’s certainly plausible, but have they said or indicated anything to make you think they want to be political? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139.md?page=7)