Prince Harry would face "no going back" to his former royal life if he's axed as a Counsellor of State, it's claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, is one of four Counsellors of States, alongside Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Andrew.
These royals, as the next four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21, would undertake The Queen's official duties as Sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad.
But there are questions whether Harry is eligible as he now lives, for the most part, in the US with wife Meghan Markle.
The pair stepped back as senior members of the royal family in 2020.
And it has now been claimed this would be a catastrophic blow for Harry, who it emerged last year has relinquished his royal patronages.
"Being removed, by parliament no less, as a Counsellor of State would really be the nail in Harry’s coffin of his former life as a frontline member of the royal family," a source told the Daily Mail.
"If the Queen does take steps to have this situation remedied and Harry is axed, there really is no going back.
"All of these decisions – the military titles, the HRHs in abeyance – could theoretically be reversed. However, having parliament take formal action to remove them as Counsellors of State is in another league entirely."
The prince, who married Meghan in May 2018 and since had two children with the former actress, left his royal titles in the UK two years ago.
It's still unclear if Harry and Meghan, 40, will join the Queen and the rest of the family for Prince Philip's memorial to be held on an as yet unspecified date.
It comes as the Sussexes have raised concerns over their security back in the UK, with Harry claiming an offer to pay for his own was previously refused.
In 1937, the Queen's father King George VI created the Regency Act which decided the Counsellors of States in their current model.
Counsellors of State can attend Privy Council meetings, sign routine documents and receive the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.
