Current Events Props: Will Harry and Meghan Lose Their Royal Titles?

There is an awful lot going on in the world right now, but the British Monarchy is still fully capable of dominating the news cycle. Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines when they accused unnamed members of the royal family of racism. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that certain members of the family had expressed concerns about the skin color of their future children.

While the couple refused to name names when it came to these allegations, the news immediately left many wondering about the future of the newlyweds with regard to the royal family. Back in January of 2020, the couple announced that they would be stepping back as “senior members” of the family, and that they would be splitting their time between North America and the UK.

Harry and Meghan have spent the last year in North America, and the aforementioned interview was their first public appearance since coming across the pond. As you may expect, entertainment betting sites are trying to get in on the hoopla. MyBookie.ag, is currently offering a number of royal family-specific prop bets including whether Harry and Meghan will lose their royal titles following their recent revelations.

Let’s dig right in and uncover some royal value!

Will Harry and Meghan Be Invited to Christmas at Sandringham?

• Yes (-500)
• No (+300)

There is a lot of pomp and circumstance that comes with being a British royal. Every year, members of the family are invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham, which is one of Queen Elizabeth’s many personal residences.

Last year’s Christmas festivities were canceled due to the pandemic, and Harry and Meghan declined to show up for the celebration back in 2019. The couple had celebrated Thanksgiving with Meghan’s family in the US that year, and they wound up doing their own thing for Christmas in Canada. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was clearly a precursor to the announcement that they would be ditching their royal duties.

Queen and Prince Philip to skip Christmas in Sandringham for first time in 33 years https://t.co/7RwldOXfFo

We couldn’t give a shit what this billionaire untouchable couple are doing…some people won’t be eating…75, 000 people have died

— Matt rejoins..these fools will never win #FBPE (@mattremains) December 1, 2020

Assuming everyone gets their vaccine jab in time, one would imagine the Christmastime celebration will be back on this year. On the heels of the fiery accusations, will the family extend a formal invitation to Harry and Meghan?

Obviously, these revelations have been a PR disaster for the royal family. At this point, one would think they would be eager to do anything they possibly can to try and shed the notion that the entire institution is racist. Shortly after the news broke, the family said that Harry and Meghan are “still members of the family.”

Entertainment betting sites have set the line at -500 and at the very least, I’d expect the family to at least extend the offer to Harry and Meghan. Whether they accept it is, of course, another matter.

Will Harry and Meghan Attend Christmas at Sandringham?

• Yes (+200)
• No (-400)

We know Harry and Meghan will make their way back across the pond at some point. Their decision to move to the US combined with the pandemic means they haven’t been back to the UK in over a year. While Meghan may not be overly eager to see some of her in-laws at this point, I would think Harry will want to get back eventually.

As you can see, the odds are stacked heavily against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending this year’s Christmas extravaganza. While they may well get that invitation in the mail, it’s hard to imagine Harry and Meghan ultimately deciding to stand there and cheese it for photos next to the Queen and her cronies just a few months after these allegations became public.

While there is a chance the family can use the holiday season to try and get past their differences, it would be a surprise to see Harry and Meghan pop up at Sandringham later this year.

Will Harry and Meghan Return to Live in the UK in 2021?

• Yes (+1200)
• No (-4000)

Just last year, the couple announced that they would split time between the US and the UK. They’re royals, so they can certainly afford multiple homes. While they likely have some sort of residence already established in England, it seems as though they plan to spend most of their time on this side of the Atlantic for quite some time.

Earlier today, it was reported that Harry has taken a job with a Silicon Valley-based tech startup. Harry will serve as an executive for BetterUp, which is a service that provides mental health support to its clients. While he can surely do plenty of his work remotely, the fact that he took a job based in the US likely means they’re not going anywhere.

Prince Harry will become chief impact officer of BetterUp, the fast-growing coaching and mental health firm plans to announce Tuesday, in his latest foray into business https://t.co/iILatjXklP

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 23, 2021

It’s also worth remembering what they said during the interview. Oprah asked whether the couple decided to leave England due to racism, to which Harry replied, “That was a large part of it.” So, unless the UK manages to absolve itself of everything at some point before the calendar flips to 2022, something tells me Harry and Meghan won’t be dashing back to England any time soon.

There isn’t much value on this one, but “no” is clearly the play.

Will Prince Harry Get His Royal Securities Back in 2021?

• Yes (+600)
• No (-1000)

Harry and Meghan said that they told higher-ups within the family that they were concerned for their own security, but the family ultimately decided to turn a blind eye. Once the couple announced their decision to step back from their royal duties, the Palace reportedly halted their taxpayer-funded security detail.

The couple said that the family did so “on short notice” despite the fact that they still had concerns for their own safety. Clearly, it seems as though the family nixed the security measures as some sort of payback for Harry and Meghan’s decision to step away.

So, Harry and Meghan have since been forced to pay for their own security. Just last week, Harry was spotted biking around Montecito, California, with a few security guards nearby. The royal family could try and build back some goodwill by offering to resupply the couple with official royal security, but whether they choose to take that step remains to be seen.

At this point, it seems as though the family has essentially decided to cut Harry and Meghan out. The couple may get some added security if they decide to move back to the UK, but the family doesn’t seem too keen on doing so with Harry and Meghan living overseas. So, we’ll bet against Harry getting his security detail back at any point this year.

Which Royal Will Enter Sensitivity Training First?

• Princess Michael of Kent (+300)
• Prince Andrew (+400)
• Princess Alexandra (+600)
• Princess Beatrice (+600)
• Princess Eugenie (+1200)
• Prince Harry (+1200)
• Prince Charles (+1200)
• Prince William (+1200)
• Sarah (+1500)
• Kate (+1500)
• Prince Michael of Kent (+1500)
• Camila (+1500)
• Sophie (+1500)
• Anne (+2000)
• Prince Edward (+2000)
• Prince Henry (+2500)
• Birgitte (+4000)
• Katharine (+4000)
• The Queen (+4000)
• Prince Philip (+6000)

Back in 2009, Harry himself actually entered sensitivity training after reportedly making some racist comments while serving in the British army. With Harry and Meghan being the victims of the family’s alleged racism, it seems pretty unlikely that Harry (+1200) will be the next British royal to head back to sensitivity training.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the royal family is considering hiring a “diversity czar” to try and help the family address its issues. A source told NBC News,

“Diversity is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Royal Households. We have the policies, the procedures, and the programs in place, but we haven’t seen the progress we would like in terms of representation and more needs to be done.”

The royal family is to appoint a “diversity czar,” according to reports https://t.co/3VVMvubdPK

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 21, 2021

Frankly, hiring a “diversity czar” sounds like a convenient way for members of the family to try and distance themselves from the allegations. Rather than having specific members outed as racists, they can all use the potential hire of a diversity trainer as cover. At this point, it’s highly unlikely we see any single member enter sensitivity training. William, Harry’s brother, went so far as to say they were “very much not a racist family.”

Nobody will enter sensitivity training, of course.

Which Member Will Be Outed As the Palace Racist?

• Princess Michael of Kent (+1200)
• Prince Andrew (+1200)
• Princess Alexandra (+1200)
• Princess Beatrice (+1200)
• Princess Eugenie (+1200)
• Prince Harry (+1200)
• Prince Charles (+1200)
• Prince William (+1200)
• Sarah (+1500)
• Kate (+1500)
• Prince Michael of Kent (+1500)
• Camila (+1500)
• Sophie (+1500)
• Anne (+2000)
• Prince Edward (+2000)
• Prince Henry (+2000)
• Birgitte (+2000)
• Katharine (+2000)
• The Queen (+2000)
• Prince Philip (+2500)

Knowing what we know about Prince Andrew, there’s probably a reason he’s a +1200 favorite here. Prince Andrew has been caught up in some awfully shady business in the past, which is why he ultimately decided to resign from all of his public roles.

Harry told Oprah that Charles has stopped taking his calls. Harry said,

The “hurt” Harry referred to could be Charles’ disapproval of Harry and Meghan stepping back from their duties. Or, perhaps there is more to it.

Prince Harry has spoken to Prince Charles, Prince William, but ‘conversations were not productive’: Gayle King https://t.co/g4n6K7pmJA

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 16, 2021

Harry did say that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip were the ones behind the racist comments, so we can go ahead and scratch them off the list. I doubt the source of the comments will ever be unearthed publicly, but Charles at +1200 is worth a flier, at the very least. Given the strained relationship between Charles and Harry, it’s at least a possibility that he was the culprit.

Will Harry and Meghan Lose Their Royal Titles in 2021?

• Yes (+900)
• No (-2500)

Shortly after their wedding, Harry and Meghan took titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As is the case with most things involving the royals, these titles don’t actually have any substantive meaning. Prince William and Kate Middleton became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they were married in 2011.

While Harry and Meghan have stepped away from their royal obligations, they do still have their official royal titles. However, there has been speculation that the family could decide to strip them of their titles in light of their recent interview. The BBC reported that some within the family believe Harry and Meghan violated their part of the “Megxit” deal by breaking their silence on TV.

We could certainly see the family decide to retaliate by stripping their titles, but that would likely bring even more bad PR to the royals. Avoiding negative headlines is probably their smartest course of action right now, so I doubt we see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lose their honorary monikers any time soon.