Why did these 9 royals reject their titles? Princess Mako just lost hers to marry her commoner sweetheart – but what did Prince Philip give up to wed Queen Elizabeth?
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are most well known for making a stand, but other British royals like Princess Anne’s husband Mark Phillips turned down titles too
- King Edward VIII famously abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, while Princess Märtha Louise of Norway encountered business conflicts
Japan’s Princess Mako became the most recent royal to reject a title in October, when she got married to her university sweetheart, Kei Komuro, in a low-key ceremony.
But Mako wasn’t the first – she actually follows a long line of royals who have rejected their titles for surprising reasons.
So who are they, and what exactly prompted them to give up their titles?
King Edward VIII
At the time, the Church of England did not allow divorcees to marry in church. Therefore, Edward could no longer remain head of state – and subsequently, head of the church – if he wanted to marry Simpson, who had gotten divorced twice.
He passed the throne down to his brother, George VI, who would later pass on the throne to the current Queen Elizabeth.
Edward was given a replacement title – he and Simpson became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, but were not allowed HRH status.
Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana
