Is Harry sabotaging the king’s plans for a slimmed-down monarchy? Watch Palace Confidential

Is Harry sabotaging the king’s plans for a slimmed-down monarchy? That’s the question royal pundits are being asked on the must-see royal talk show Palace Confidential.

While Prince Harry’s decision to give titles to his children may have upset King Charles III’s vision for the royal family, the king may have another ruse up his sleeve.

A few days after the announcement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that their children Archie and Lilibet would be known as Prince and Princess, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Edward would be promoted to Duke of Edinburgh.

Speak on the PostPlus Richard Eden, editor of the Daily Mail Diary talk show, said King Charles “could hardly justify not giving his brother the title promised him by their parents,” following Sussexes’ announcement.

It was widely believed that the king ‘had no intention’ of giving his brother their father’s title because of his broader plans to ‘slimming down the monarchy’.

Richard explained that there was a lot of ‘back and forth’ with the decision as Edinburgh is a capital, and thought a direct royal line would be more appropriate.

But when Harry and Meghan started using the Prince and Princess titles for their children, it became clear that this wasn’t going to happen and then King Charles could hardly justify not giving Prince Edward the title promised to him by their parents. ,’ explained Richard.

“It was a big problem and I really think that was behind it.”

By insisting that the Edinburgh title revert to the Crown when Edward dies, the King has shown he has an ace up his sleeve when it comes to his son’s actions.

He continued: ‘I’ve heard it said that part of the reason is that the King wants to prevent Archie from inheriting that title from Duke of Sussex. So this could be part of that, so he’s set that precedent now.

Speaking on the Mail Plus talk show Royal Palace Confidential Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden (pictured) said King Charles could ‘hardly justify not giving his brother the title he had been promised by their parents’, following Sussexes’ announcement

“The problem is he would have to do it with all the royal dukes, so he really wouldn’t want to do that with the highly respected dukes of Gloucester and Kent.”

Our panel also discusses the story in the Mail on Sunday that Prince Andrew is ‘amazed’ that he was not given a share of his late mother’s inheritance.

The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor, Rebecca English, said despite what friends of the duke say, the king doesn’t want his brother to struggle.

She explained, “I have been strongly guided that Andrew will not be left homeless, he will not be left without money, he is [the King’s] brother at the end of the day.

“But maybe what the king sees as a fair settlement and what Andrew sees as a fair settlement are not the same thing.”