Piers Morgan says Queen must tell Prince Harry he won’t get military titles back & can’t be ‘absentee armchair general’
THE Queen should permanently strip Prince Harry of his military titles because he cannot be an "absentee armchair general", Piers Morgan says.
When Harry and wife Meghan Markle dramatically quit their royal duties last January, the Duke was forced to give up his various roles in Her Majesty's armed forces for one year.
The decision to strip him of the titles will be reviewed next month - and according to the prince's "friends", he is "determined" to win them back.
Yet, royal insiders say the Queen's grandson is unlikely to retain the titles as he cannot be a "half-in, half-out" royal.
And Piers Morgan wholeheartedly agrees.
The firebrand GMB host claims Harry can't "physically commit" to his duties due to his work commitments in Hollywood.
Writing in the , Piers said: "What is being questioned is his ability to physically commit, in the UK, to the three military organisations he wants to represent."
He adds: "The answer, surely, is nowhere near enough?"
This comes after Meghan and Harry signed a $100m contract with Netflix and a lucrative podcast deal with Spotify.
Piers claims that Harry, who is still the Duke of Sussex, wants the titles to boost his "earning power" over in Los Angeles.
He wrote: "He also knows that being able to add the words 'Captain-General', 'Air-Commandant' and 'Commodore-in-Chief' to his business card will make him even more commercially appealing in a country that worships the military."
But Piers says the Queen should not stop there insisting the pair should be stripped of their Sussex titles as well.
"The moment he and his wife quit Britain for a new celebrity life in America, they gave up their right to trade off their royal association," he adds.
Piers says the couple have been "allowed to ruthlessly and greedily exploit their titled regal status for huge financial gain…"
Harry recently described his commitment to the armed forces as "steadfast and unquestionable" - and Morgan does not question the former soldier's love of the military.
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However, he says the prince "can't be an absentee armchair general from 5000 miles away in Santa Barbara."
Meanwhile, senior royal aides told the that it would be impossible for the royal to have a “half in, half out” role.
An insider said: “The view is very clear – either you are in or you are out, and any form of 'hybrid' role is incompatible with representing the head of state.”
The Duke of Sussex, who was an officer for ten years in the Army, had his honorary military titles stripped when he quit the royal family with Meghan last January.
Harry is reportedly determined to hold onto his treasured military roles of Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command pending a one-year Megxit review.
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He is currently not allowed to take any particular role using the titles, but they have not yet been handed to other members of the family.
No official choice has been made as to who will replace Harry if he is forced to drop them, although Princess Anne and Prince William are thought to be considered.