Now That King Charles Is Reigning, What Happens To Prince Harry And Meghan Markle?

Now that King Charles III is reigning as the monarch of the United Kingdom, what happens to the controversial couple who famously stepped away from the royal family? Queen Elizabeth II, whose 70-year reign is the longest in British history, died at the age of 96. She was surrounded by her family at the time of her passing. Even the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, who was in London for an event, traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be with his family. Buckingham Palace released an official statement that read, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow." Queen Elizabeth's eldest son, Charles, immediately became king upon her passing.

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The United Kingdom's royal family has a meticulously set order for who takes the throne and how it happens.

This has been a tradition observed since the monarchy was established in 1066, according to Royal Central. But there's one wild card people are wondering about: What happens with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle since they're no longer working royals? Now that Charles is King Charles III, everyone after him in the line of succession shifts upward, too. According to Cosmopolitan, Charles' elder son, Prince William, will take over his dad's former title as the Prince of Wales. He's now first in line for the throne.

His three children, whom he shares with his wife Kate Middleton, are next in line after him. According to Glamour, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is now 5th in line for the crown, after his brother William and his children. It's pretty unlikely Harry will ever become king himself. So, in practice, nothing will change for Meghan and Harry now that Charles is king. They will still remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. But King Charles may need their help along the way. Author Tina Brown told The Sun that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could become assets for King Charles as he looks to appeal to a younger crowd now that he is the country's monarch. This could be their chance to return to the royal family and improve their standing with the British public.

King Charles might really want them back. He sort of needs them back actually because Harry and Meghan were huge assets to the whole royal repertoire quite frankly. They had a young appeal that was very, very potent in the country. Harry and Meghan famously announced they were stepping back from their royal duties in 2020, and moving to California. It apparently led to some family strain"I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls.''

However, if King Charles chooses not to accept Harry and Meghan back into the fold, their children could face an interesting consequence, the Daily Mail notes. According to some, Charles is considering "slimming down" the monarchy, only giving heirs to the throne and their immediate families full titles, financial support, and police expenses funded by taxpayers. This could mean Harry and Meghan's children, Archie and Lilibet, may not get titles from their grandfather.