Just when the noise around the ongoing feud between the Firm and their estranged family across the Atlantic has seemingly died down, a new scandal rocks the fragile peace catapulting the hype into orbit once more.
A new voice on the matter, Tory MP Bob Seely is pushing for Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to have their royal titles stripped.
This after the Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame, allegedly pinpointed the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, and her father-in-law, King Charles III, as the senior royals who speculated about the skin colour of the Sussex’s first unborn child, Archie.
The royal racism accusations emerged in early 2021, a year after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals, when the couple bared all in an inflammatory interview with TV presenter, Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan at the time stated there had been concerns from within the Firm about the colour of their child’s skin but neither she nor Harry would reveal who it was.
Similarly, Omid Scobie (an author reportedly sympathetic to the Sussex’s), has denied ever including the Princess and King’s names in his manuscript.
But Dutch translator Saskia Peters maintains the manuscript included both names.
“The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them,” she said.
“I just did what I was paid to do and that was translate the book from English into Dutch.”
Reacting strongly to the newly erupted furore, Seely plans to present his Titles Deprivation 1917 Act Amendment Bill over the coming weeks in an effort to strip the Sussex’s of their royal titles.
“I’m not a republican and support the monarchy, but after the latest instalment of the couple’s feud with the rest of the royal family, I believe that parliament and the Privy Council should consider a nuclear option,” Seely told Britain’s Mail on Sunday.
“The duke and duchess can be Mr and Mrs like the rest of us.”
He justified his actions “because of the attempt to use race to smear the royal family”, which he described as “poisonously insidious”.
“My Titles Deprivation 1917 Act Amendment Bill would allow a vote in Parliament to advise the ancient advisory Privy Council to strip a member of the royal family of their titles,” Seely said.
“My aim is simple: if someone doesn’t want to be royal, that is a decision we respect – but they should not keep the titles and privileges if they trash an institution that plays an important part in our nation’s life.”
Aides to the King and the Wales’ are reportedly urgently discussing their options on how to respond to the latest scandal, including legal avenues.
There has also been pressure on the Sussex’s to respond but the only comment thus far has been from a source close to the couple that Meghan “never intended” for the names to be “publicly identified”.
Additionally, Seely’s contentious bill is anticipated to encounter hurdles since he isn’t among the 20 MPs selected in the Private Members’ Bill ballot, lacking priority to propose it.
As a result, reports suggest that due to time limitations, the bill is unlikely to advance through parliament in its current proposed state.