There have been numerous royals who have stunned the world by declining their crowns in order to protect those they love.
In January, the Sussexes announced their desire to step back from royal duties in order to become “financially independent,” causing royal watchers to witness Prince Harry publicly express his love for his wife Meghan and their baby Archie.
We look at some of the most powerful gestures made by these lovebirds.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Prince Harry and Meghan revealed their plans to step down as senior royals and share their time between the United Kingdom and North America on January 8, 2020.
They issued a statement at the time, which read: “We’ve decided to undertake a change this year, starting to carve out a progressive new role inside this institution, after months of thought and internal deliberations. We plan to retire as’senior’ members of the Royal Family and seek to become financially self-sufficient while being completely supportive of Her Majesty The Queen.”
While the pair is allowed to keep their HRH hairstyles, they are not allowed to utilize them.
Archie and Lilibet, Harry and Meghan’s children, now live in Montecito, Santa Barbara.
Prince Philip is a prince from the United Kingdom.
Although Prince Philip was a member of the British royal family, when he married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, he had to give up his claim to not one, but two thrones. In both Greece and Denmark, he was a prince. Philip took his mother’s maiden name, Mountbatten, after his marriage. The Queen bestowed titles on him, including Baron Greenwich and Duke of Edinburgh, in recognition of his sacrifice.
In April 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh died at the age of 99.
Edward VIII, King of England
This former royal is possibly the most well-known royal who resigned for love. Edward left London to marry Wallis Simpson after less than a year on the throne. In his official declaration, he stated, “I have found it hard to carry the heavy load of responsibility and to execute my obligations as king as I would desire to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”
Princess Mako
Princess Mako of Japan is one of the newest royals to give up her title in the sake of love. She gave up her claim to the throne in 2017 in favor of marrying commoner Kei Komuro. However, she did not make the declaration of her own own. A female royal must lose her title if her partner does not have an aristocratic title, according to Japanese royal law.
Princess Mako married her college sweetheart Kei in October 2021, sacrificing her royal dignity in the process. She also turned down a stipend provided to royal girls when they left the family.
Princess Sayako
Years before Princess Mako of Japan was compelled to relinquish her title, there was another Japanese princess — Emperor Akihito’s only daughter. She abandoned the imperial family and all the perks that came with it when she married commoner Yoshiki Kuroda.
Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau
In 2004, this Dutch royal married Mable Wisse Smit without the official approval of the Dutch Parliament. He then gave up his claim to the crown (had his older brother predeceased him). Friso and his family were still recognized members of the royal family until his death in 2013, although not of the Dutch Royal House.
Carol II, King of Romania
This one-time king was forced to quit his kingdom twice: once for love in 1925, when he was caught having an affair with a French woman, and again in 1940, when he was pushed into exile for political reasons. Magda Lupescu, one of his consorts, was eventually married to him in 1947.
