Meghan Markle has “tested the water” with the Royal Family following her latest move, a royal source has claimed.
The mother-of-two sparked backlash by sharing a letter on Instagram that addressed her as “Your Royal Highness”, a title she agreed not to use after stepping back from royal duties.
The Duchess of Sussex published the message from Ukraine’s vice president on her social media account this weekend.
The couple never formally surrendered their HRH titles but had pledged not to use them as part of their exit arrangement.
Meghan Markle ‘tests the water’ with Royal Family following latest move
PA
The Instagram post featured a message from Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, that began: “Your Royal Highness, I would like to express my sincere thanks for everything your family is doing for Ukraine.”
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the matter.
The post has caused significant consternation among those close to the Royal Family.
A friend of King Charles III told The Daily Beast that the monarch would be dismayed at Meghan’s post: “It’s outrageous. Every time you think they can’t make it worse, they make it worse.
Meghan Markle was referred to with an HRH title by Ukraine’s vice prime minister
Instagram / @meghan
“The deal with the HRH was a way to stop them cashing in while letting them walk away with pride and dignity and trust, and now Markle is using her HRH on a website which seems to exist to sell jam.”
The source added: “I’m sure the King’s first reaction will be dismay, but he simply doesn’t allow himself to get angry about things like this anymore.”
A friend of Prince William’s described the post as “quite a clever way of testing the water” due to its built-in deniability.
“She can say, ‘Well, I just wanted to publish this nice letter to raise awareness for Ukraine, and oops! they got my name wrong—but oh, actually, now I think of it, I never gave the title up anyway, and maybe I will start using it again,'” the source explained.
“It’s a step in the wrong direction, basically, away from the agreement. You’d have to be an idiot to believe that she didn’t know exactly what she was doing.”
Despite the outrage, Meghan did not use the title herself, but simply shared a letter where someone else did.
Several fans came to the Duchess’s post, with one saying: “You can’t take it away. Your vindictiveness can’t change the narrative of the birth and lineage.
Harry will always remain ‘Your Royal Highness.’ And all Princes and Princesses.”
Another commented: “Everyone should call Meghan ‘Your Royal Highness’.”
The incident has reignited debate about the couple’s royal status nearly five years after their departure from official duties.
With no formal mechanism in place to prevent Meghan from using the HRH designation, royal watchers suggest this could mark the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing Sussex saga.
The controversy adds to tensions following Prince Harry’s recent court appearance in London regarding his security arrangements.
