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Privacy NoticePrince Harry’s spot as fifth in line to the throne could be at risk due to his decision to live abroad and step back from Royal duties, it has been claimed. A source has suggested that discussions at the Royal Family’s summer summit at Balmoral may not only address Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s titles, but could also consider removing them from the line of succession. “The order of succession can be altered by statute if a member of the Royal Family permanently resides outside the UK and no longer undertakes royal duties,” a source told Express.co.uk. “If that were to happen, Harry’s children could also be removed from the line of succession.”
Prince Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Robert Blackburn, a constitutional law professor at King’s College London, told the publication that although living overseas is not a legal barrier to becoming monarch, Prince Harry, 39, could still be removed from the line of succession through an Act of Parliament. “Like Edward VIII, Prince Harry does not wish to perform the role of royalty expected of him and has withdrawn to live abroad. Presumably therefore Prince Harry would be agreeable to abdicate his place in succession if for any reason this became an issue in royal affairs being legislated upon,” he explained. He also added that when it came to a constitutional measure like this, it is customary for the British Government to take the initiative and introduce the Bill – not the monarch.
Prince Harry currently lives in Montecito in California
(Image: Getty Images)
“Backbench MPs or Peers can technically introduce a Private Members’ Bill on the subject, but it would get nowhere and be blocked by the government from proceeding further than a formal First Reading,” said Robert. In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as senior working royals, explaining that they intended to “work to become financially independent”. Since then, the pair have turned their attention to a range of different projects, including their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, Prince Harry’s memoir Spare as well as their Archewell Foundation.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step back as senior working royals in 2020
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Most recently the Duke and Duchess of Sussex headed to Colombia for a four-day tour which saw them teach young people how to combat cyberbullying and raise awareness about mental health. “It’s all too easy to poke fun at them for doing this semi-royal stuff after they fled the life of working royals in the UK, but they are making us talk about the dangers of the internet to our children and looking for solutions. And that has to be applauded,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnMeghan MarklePrince HarryRoyal Family
