Twitter Calls On Queen To Reinstate Prince Harry's Military Titles Amid Prince Andrew Demotion

Some royal fans are calling on Queen Elizabeth to give back her grandson Prince Harry's military titles after the monarch stripped her son Prince Andrew of his this week.

On Thursday, Buckingham Palace released a statement regarding Prince Andrew's royal status amid an ongoing sexual assault lawsuit against him.

The Duke of York was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages, and he will continue not to undertake any public duties, according to the statement. The palace also confirmed that Prince Andrew will defend the civil sexual assault case in the U.S. as a "private citizen."

Like Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew retains his "HRH" title but will not use it in any official capacity.

The announcement sparked calls online for the Queen to return the honorary military titles Prince Harry was forced to give up in February last year after he and Markle informed the monarch that they don't intend to return to their working royal roles.

"Now reinstate Harry’s military affiliations that should never have been stripped in the first place," one Twitter user wrote.

"Now reinstate Harry’s. All he did was marry someone the firm didn’t approve of," another user commented.

"I think it would be a good idea to reinstate Prince Harry's military titles. He is much more deserving of this than Andrew. Harry loved his time in the British military and served in Afghanistan," a third person commented.

Meanwhile, some royal fans are concerned about how Queen Elizabeth is doing amid Prince Andrew's legal battle, which comes months after she lost her husband Prince Philip.

"I hope this is not causing the Queen too much stress," one Twitter user wrote.

"I feel sorry for the Queen who certainly does not deserve to have this in her jubilee year," another person wrote.

Prince Harry is a veteran, rising to the rank of captain during his decade of military service. He served two tours in Afghanistan.

Before he was stripped of his military appointments last year, Prince Harry had served as commodore-in-chief of Small Ships and Diving since 2006. He was made an Honorary Air Commandant by the Royal Air Force Honington in 2008 and became captain general of the Royal Marines in 2017.

As part of his and Markle's deal with the royal family, the royal patronages they held were also returned to the Queen and redistributed among working members of the royal family.

Following the Queen's decision, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Markle said in a statement in February 2021, "As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

During his and Markle's sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year, the Duke of Sussex admitted he was "hurt" when the monarch decided to strip them of their royal patronages and him of his military affiliations.

"I am hurt. But at the same time, I completely respect my grandmother's decision," Prince Harry was quoted by Daily Mail as saying. "I would still love for us to be able to continue to support those associations, albeit without the title or the role."