Mr Seely said the couple ‘should not keep the titles and privileges if they trash an institution that plays an important part in our nation’s life’ (Picture: Getty/Rex)
A Tory MP has said he will introduce a bill to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their Duke and Duchess titles – which were given to them by the late Queen for their wedding.
Bob Seely, the MP for the Isle of Wight, wrote in the Mail on Sunday that he plans to present the Titles Deprivation 1917 Act Amendment Bill to parliament ‘in the next couple of weeks’.
The legislation would amend a law that was passed during World War One to withdraw the peerage titles of two minor members of the British Royal Family who served as officers in the German Army.
Mr Seely’s proposal comes in the wake of fresh controversy over a new book on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Omid Scobie’s Endgame examines the impact of their decision to split away from the rest of the royals and their behaviour since.
However, news of the book’s launch has been dominated by an apparent mistake in the Dutch translation, which revealed the names of two family members who were accused of raising concerns about the skin tone of the couple’s son Archie.
Mr Scobie has insisted he never included names of individuals at any point while writing, but Buckingham Palace is said to be ‘considering all options’ in response.
In his article, Mr Seely suggested that ‘few people’ believe those close to Harry and Meghan who say they are not behind the claims made in the book.
Harry and Meghan were given the hereditary titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex ahead of their wedding day (Picture: PA Wire/PA Images)
He writes: ‘The [racism] allegations jar with so much of what we know about the Royals and this country.
‘The late Queen and King Charles have done extraordinary work over decades reaching out to everyone in the country, including ethnic minorities and those from Commonwealth nations.’
On the proposed legislation, he adds: ‘The Duke and Duchess can be Mr and Mrs like the rest of us.’
Harry and Meghan dropped their ‘royal highness’ styles when they chose to stand down as working members of the Royal Family in January 2020.
Omid Scobie’s book Endgame has been attracted attention for an apparent mistake in the Dutch translation (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
However, they continue to hold the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they were given them as a gift by the Queen ahead of their wedding in 2018.
Mr Seely’s bill would allow a vote in parliament to advise the Privy Council to remove the titles of a member of the royal family.
Yesterday, it was reported that Harry and Meghan were left off the guest list for the wedding of the Duke of Westminster next year.
Hugh Grosvenor, a lifelong friend of Harry and the godfather to Archie, is said to have sent invitations to the King and Queen as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, but not the US-based couple.
He is set to wed Olivia Henson in June next year.
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The couple were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their wedding day.