Tory MP plans legislation to strip Harry and Meghan of royal titles
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely accuses Duke of Sussex of ‘attacking’ monarchy
A Tory MP is planning to bring forward proposed legislation that could eventually strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles.
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely accused the Duke of Sussex of “attacking” the monarchy, calling it a “political issue”.
He suggested he could bring forward a short private members’ bill in the new year that, if passed, would see the MPs vote on a resolution that could give the Privy Council the power to downgrade the couple’s royal status.
It comes after a new Netflix documentary on the couple began streaming on Thursday, in which Harry accused the royals of having a “huge level of unconscious bias” and Meghan saying the media wanted to “destroy” her.
Mr Seely told the PA news agency that he had been considering his private members’ bill, first reported by the MailOnline, even before the latest controversy over the Netflix documentary.
It would amend the royal 1917 Titles Deprivation Act, which stripped royal titles from those who supported Germany in the First World War.
Bills proposed by individual MPs, and without government backing, rarely pass through parliament.
Mr Seely said he would likely put down the amendment in early 2023, with the bill likely to be very short.
“There is a political issue,” he said.
As well as trashing his family and monetising his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country
“As well as trashing his family and monetising his misery for public consumption, he is also attacking some important institutions in this country.
Mr Seely asked why Harry continues to use the titles, while “at the same time trashes the institution of monarchy and his family”.
He urged the duke to have a “sense of consistency” if he continues to attack the monarchy.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell already has a bill going through parliament which would give the monarch new powers to remove titles, or a committee of Parliament to determine that a title should be taken away.
She previously said that her constituents made it clear to her that they wanted the Duke of York’s title to be removed.
Employment minister Guy Opperman on Thursday urged “everyone to boycott Netflix” following the airing of the first three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s documentary on the streaming giant on Thursday.
“I don’t think it has a fundamental impact on the royal family. I certainly won’t be watching it. I would urge everyone to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter,” he told BBC’s Question Time.