Prince Harry No Longer In Line For Succession After Megxit? Here's The Truth
Did Prince Harry lose everything after Megxit, including his position in the royal succession line?
When Prince Harry decided to leave his position as a senior member of the royal family on March 31, he did not only lose his HRH title, but he also drew the ire of the royal family.
Back in January, Queen Elizabeth II clarified to Prince Harry that he cannot do a half-in-half-out role, which disappointed the Duke of Sussex to the point that he mentioned it in one of his personal addresses.
"Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations without public funding. Unfortunately that wasn't possible," the royal prince said that time.
This caused royal watchers to anticipate Her Majesty to remove him out of the royal succession line.
However, that is not the case.
Even though he already gave up his senior role, Prince Harry still has a place in the line of succession. Currently, he is the sixth in line to the British throne after Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George (eldest child of the Duke of Cambridge), Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge decided not to have another child who could be an addition to those next in line to the throne, then Prince Harry would remain the sixth and his 11-month-old son Archie would be the seventh.
This hierarchy in the British's succession to the throne is solely based on legislation under the "Succession to the Crown Act."
"The Succession to the Crown Act (2013) amended the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement to end the system of male primogeniture, under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession," the official website of the royal family reads.
This only means that the Act of Parliament could be the only way to remove someone from the line of succession.
In addition, there are several conditions the Sovereign must meet before a decision can be called valid and approved.
"The Sovereign must, in addition, be in communion with the Church of England and must swear to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland. The Sovereign must also promise to uphold the Protestant succession," the website adds.
In 2011, the Commonwealth leaders approved and concurred to change the succession laws, making everyone in the line of succession share equal right to be seated on the throne.
King Edward VIII became the last member of the royal family to be removed from the line of succession. The former Duke of Windsor, also known as the "tragic king," gave up his royal life and abdicated. He then moved to France and spent the rest of his life with Wallis Simpson.
His decision then sparked a constitutional crisis, as his marriage was vehemently opposed by the governments of the United Kingdom and the dominions of the British Commonwealth. Eventually, a lot of objections were raised, but it did not stop King Edward VIII to push his decision.
