BOB SELLY MP: Who really believes Harry and Meghan aren’t behind Scobie’s race claims? We need to strip the Sussexes of their Royal titles
In the coming weeks I will be introducing a bill to Parliament to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles.
I am not a republican and support the monarchy, but after the latest episode 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.
The Duke and Duchess can be Mr and Mrs, just like the rest of us.
The Bill to Amend the Deprivation of My Titles Act 1917 would allow a vote in Parliament to advise the old advisory Privy Council to strip a member of the Royal Family of their titles.
My goal is simple: if someone doesn't want to be royal, that's a decision we respect – but they shouldn't keep the titles and privileges if they destroy an institution that plays an important role in the life of our nation.
In the next few weeks I will be introducing a bill to Parliament to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles, writes BOB SEELY
Sources close to the Sussexes have stressed that Harry and Meghan do not support the claims made in Omid Scobie's book
Sources close to the Sussexes have stressed that Harry and Meghan do not support the claims made in Omid Scobie's book. But I suspect few people believe such denials.
Of all of Scobie's allegations, the use of race to defame the royal family is the most insidious, guaranteed to leave a hint of stigma and impossible to prove if false. It is the all-encompassing stain of the modern age.
The allegations reflect so much of what we know about the Royals and this country. The late Queen and King Charles did an extraordinary job over the decades in reaching everyone in the country, including ethnic minorities and people from Commonwealth countries.
I truly feel sorry for Harry and the life choices he has made. It wouldn't have been easy for him. But the couple and their supporters have a track record of attacking the royal family with unproven and inflammatory accusations, which they then appear to deny or refuse to substantiate, which is indefensible.
It's time for us all to move on. I believe it's time for them to drop their titles – or be forced to do so – and start living off their own talents, if they have anything to say about that.
The title of Scobie's book, Endgame, is Freudian. The author tells about the monarchy's struggle for survival. But I don't see a fight for survival. I see that the monarchy is in safe hands. The real endgame, I think, is for Meghan and Harry and their clique – and I suspect it's fast approaching.
“Meghan is busy creating something safe and timeless,” Scobie wrote. “Something that isn't accused of being on the back of something royal.” Should one laugh or cry?
Scobie's won't be the last lament of the Sussex supporters' club, but they will become fewer and more desperate. The sooner the Duke and Duchess simply become Mr. and Mrs. Sussex, the better for all of us.