Petition to strip Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles

Campaigner Charles Ross launched it on the Brighton and Hove City Council website in July.

In it he says Harry and Meghan’s titles are “morally wrong and disrespectful to the county of East Sussex”.

So far the petition has been signed 1,703 times.

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This means it has passed the 1,250 names required for it to be discussed by the council and it will now be presented before a full council meeting for debate on October 24.

The petition states: “As residents of Brighton and Hove we call on Brighton and Hove Council to not refer to these individuals by such titles which we believe to be entirely non-democratic and symbolic of the oppression of the general public by the wealthy elite.”

Mr Ross calls for the council to “not invite or entertain” Harry and Meghan, nor afford them any hospitality or courtesies above and beyond that of an ordinary member of the public.

It states: “The petition aims to establish a precedent that Brighton and Hove Council will no longer afford official hospitality to those with royal or aristocratic titles nor make usage of those titles in official documents as these titles are arbitrarily and unfairly acquired.”

However, Hove resident Liv Seabrook called the petition “a waste of council time” and said it was “patently absurd” to suggest the council could remove royal titles.

Harry and Meghan in Brighton

Ms Seabrook said: “Our city has serious social problems and the council is going to waste time on the sentiment of a disgruntled citizen with nothing better to do than come up with a useless petition. There are financial aspects of the monarchy that can usefully be discussed.

“I for one can confidently say I have never felt the slightest bit oppressed by the fact that we now have as part of our Royal Family, a Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

The royal couple have recently been criticised for “environmental hypocrisy” over their use of private jets, after they travelled to Sicily and Prince Harry gave a speech on climate change at a Google conference.

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The duchess guest edited the September issue of British Vogue, in which she featured ethical and sustainable clothing brands and interviewed Michelle Obama.

Prince Harry interviewed the ethologist Dr Jane Goodall for the edition, and the pair had a candid conversation about climate change and the issues younger generations will face.

The couple were well received on their royal visit to Sussex last year, with Hove MP Peter Kyle praising them for reflecting the diversity of Brighton and Hove, and calling them “a great example”.