More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A Conservative Kent county councillor has called for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to be stripped of their Royal titles.
The couple have triggered a backlash after announcing they intended to step back from their duties and would be splitting their time between the UK and America.
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Paul Cooper, county councillor for Maidstone and the chairman of the Faversham & Mid Kent Conservative Association, tweeted: “Strip them of their Royal titles. This is a shameful way for a Prince to behave.”
He was responding to a tweet that pointed out that the couple would continue to take money from income drawn from the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince Charles’ private estate.
Asked about the issue, he said: “Being a member of the Royal Family does not offer you the same freedoms as you and I but it brings with it a lot of privilege. It seems they do not want to take their responsibilities of being a member of the family in a way which is quite disrespectful of the institution.”
He said he was in favour of a smaller monarchy and the need to modernise but the couple “seemed to want to do things their way and not do some of the things other members of the Royal Family did.”
And he added the public would find it hard to stomach after taxpayers met the costs of refurbishments to their home to the tune of £2m.
In their statement on Wednesday, Harry and Meghan said they made the decision "after many months of reflection and internal discussions".
They said they intend "to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent".
They plan to split their time between the UK and North America, while "continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages".
