Prince Harry Reportedly Says He Wants To Drop Royal Title As He Returns To United Kingdom

Prince Harry is back in the United Kingdom, and he is reportedly hoping to be addressed in a totally new way. According to Hollywood Life, the former Duke of Sussex wants to drop the title “Prince” and just go by Harry.

Harry made an appearance at a sustainability conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was introduced by Ayesha Hazarika. The host told the audience that the royal was so earnest about his desire to step back from royal life and be seen as a private citizen that he had asked people to use a new way to address him.

“He’s made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry,” she said.

Harry and wife Meghan Markle shocked many when they announced that they were no longer going to make the royal world a major part of their life. They said that they wanted to step back from their royal duties to focus on their own business and philanthropic ventures, even going so far as to say that they wanted to be financially independent of the crown.

Since the announcement, they have met with Queen Elizabeth to talk about what their departure might look like, including the need to ditch their Sussex title and the requirement that they pay back the country for the pricey renovations on Frogmore Cottage, their home base in England.

The Queen also reportedly requested that the couple stop using the title “Royal” as part of their brand. The two had invested in a website and used the term on their Instagram page, which has an impressive 11.2 million followers.

Shortly after, the couple announced that they would no longer use the term “royal,” a move that earned them backlash from some people for what was seen as a “spiteful” move, as The Inquisitr reported previously.

The couple’s statement was seen as unnecessary and perhaps an indication that the rift between the Queen and the couple was continuing to widen.

Currently, the couple has made a home for themselves in Canada and is reportedly looking for a place to live in Southern California, where Markle has friends and family.

Harry recently defended their decision to leave royal life. While the U.K. will always be his home, and he appreciates the support that he has received from its citizens, he felt compelled to make the decision that he did.

“The decision I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges, and I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option,” he said.