Here's How Meghan And Harry Were Just Seriously Demoted

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the royal family in early 2020. "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen," the couple said in a statement at the time, according to People magazine. The plan was for there to be a one-year transition period of sorts, and for the couple to check back in after that time had passed. In February 2021, the palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "would not be returning as working members of the royal family."

Harry and Meghan have been stripped of their "HRH" (his/her royal highness) titles, and any of the patronages they previously held have been revoked, and returned to Queen Elizabeth. According to Deadline, "the military, Commonwealth, and charitable associations that will revert to The Queen [include] The Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, [and] the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. Although the couple is still expected to keep the duke and duchess titles, they have just been demoted in another way. Keep reading to find out the move the palace just made.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still on the official list of British royal family members, however, their names have moved down, according to Us Weekly. As the site points out, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's names appeared directly after Harry's brother Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, and before his uncles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Now, Harry and Meghan appear after his aunt, Princess Anne, both of his uncles, and Edward's wife, Sophie Wessex, on the royal family website.

It is unclear why the move was made, but Us Weekly suggests that current working members of the royal family were bumped up. The website doesn't rank royals in any way, nor does it list them in any sort of order of succession, so the move was likely made to reflect Harry and Meghan's decision to step down. The duo also have updated bios, according to Page Six. Harry's bio now includes his decision to step back, but maintains that he and Meghan will be "balancing their time between the United Kington and North America," which was originally their plan. "Frogmore Cottage in the UK remains their family home," the bio continues. The couple has lived in their mansion in Montecito, California, for a little more than a year now, and Meghan has not returned to the UK since she left in 2020.

Meghan Markle's bio has also been updated on the royal family's website. It states that she and Prince Harry wed in May 2018, and that they have one child together. That will more than likely be updated when Meghan gives birth to the couple's daughter in the coming weeks. The Duchess of Sussex's bio contains the same statement about stepping back as Prince Harry's, but adds a bit about her passions. "The Duchess will continue to support a number of charitable causes and organizations which reflect the issues with which she has long been associated including the arts, access to education, support for women and animal welfare," it reads.

Although her bio is much shorter than her husband's, there is a sentence at the end that confirms Meghan's "official titles." She is "The Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel," according to the website. On the Archewell website, the site created for Meghan and Harry's foundation, they both refer to themselves as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex regularly.