The possibility of a reconciliation between Prince Harry and Prince William appears to be bleak according to a leading royal expert.
The two brothers have remained almost entirely apart since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals and moved to the US in 2020.
Since then, there has been great speculation on how their relationship might change when William eventually succeeds King Charles on the throne – with some even suggesting Harry and Meghan could be stripped of their titles.
For royal expert Jennie Bond, that outcome seemed unlikely, but she could foresee a future where the royal brother remained apart forever.
Jennie Bond speculated that Harry and William may remain 'forever estranged'
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"William may remain estranged from his brother forever, even though this would be a very sad state of affairs,” she explained to The Mirror.
She suggested that their relationship would not heal, and William would “continue” to see his brother as “irrelevant to his life and to this country”.
The sobering verdict came with the assurance that William would not “trouble himself” was revoking Harry and Meghan’s titles.
Bond acknowledged that, outside of the Royal Family, there did appear to be some “public appetite” for the move.
Bond did not believe William would remove Harry and Meghan's titles
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However, she was confident the move would be perceived as “quite vindictive” regardless of any backing.
Even still, she questioned the legality of such a bold notion and if it was even in the power of a monarch to do.
"Some titles could be removed on the will of the Sovereign, but the universal view is that, to strip someone of their Peerage demands an act of Parliament,” the former BBC royal correspondent said.
This would then require a willing government which Bond was confident would be more focused on “more pressing issues”.
The expert believed Harry and Meghan would be particularly wounded about losing their titles
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On a human level, Bond also added that Harry and Meghan would be “hurt and angry” at losing their titles.
This was patricianly apparent as the Sussexes appeared “wedded to the idea that their children should use their royal titles.”
Meghan, who also continues to use HRH in contradiction of royal protocol, is evidently also attached to the Sussex name.
During a moment of her Netflix series, the duchess corrected actress Mindy Kaling on how she should be referred.
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In a viral moment, Meghan made clear she wished to be referred to as a Sussex
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“It's so funny, too, that you keep saying, 'Meghan Markle.' You know, I'm Sussex now,” Meghan said in the now viral moment.
The Duchess then explained the significance of the name change, adding: "You have kids, and you go, 'No, I share my name with my children.'"
Kaling appeared to take the correction in stride, nodding in agreement and responding: "Now I know, and I love it."
Her response seemed to perfectly tee up Bond's analysis of the hypothetical American reaction to Harry and Meghan losing their titles.
"It would, inevitably, reduce their standing -particularly, perhaps, in the eyes of the American public, who seem to adore royalty. But I simply do not think that this is going to happen," the expert declared.
