Surprising reasons why these royals gave up their royal titles

When it comes to royal families around the world, they are known for their lavish lifestyles, long standing prestige and vast fortunes. Not many would reject this sort of luxury and extravagance. However, in the past, several royals have given up their royal riches or titles for astonishing reasons. Across the world, many members of the royal family have given in to the power of love and freedom. They have listened to their hearts and renounced great opportunities and opulence. That said, here are some royals who did so for surprising reasons.

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In 1936, King Edward VIII succeeded his father George V and took over the reign of England. However, a year later, he renounced his royal title as the King of England, to marry the love of his life, Wallis Simpson, a two-time divorced American woman. In a statement announcing his abdication, King Edward states, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

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The late Duke of Edinburgh was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. However, he refused to claim the titles in order to marry Queen Elizabeth II of England. Prior to his wedding to the Queen, he was granted the title His Royal Highness and was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich.

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Princess Ubolratana of Thailand was the first-born of Bhumibol Adulyadej and Sirikit Kitiyakara, the King and the Queen Mother of Thailand. While pursuing her studies in Boston, the Princess fell in love with an American man, named Peter Jensen. Even after vigorous opposition and persuasion, the Princess went on to marry the man she loved. This not only forced her to renounce her titles but also banished her from her own family. However, the couple divorced in 1998.

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Given the corruption scandal that involved his son-in-law and his own controversial elephant hunting trip during the Spanish financial crisis, King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicated the throne after almost 40 years of reign. However, altogether he renounced all his royal duties in 2019.

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Princess Martha Louise of Norway in a social media post in August 2019, said that she will not use her 'Princess' title in any 'commercial context'. After receiving backlash for using the title for her tour, ‘The Princess and the Shaman’, with boyfriend Shaman Durek Verret, the royal family and the Princess agreed on using the title only when she is representing the royal household.

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The Duke of York, Prince Andrew had no choice but to ‘step back’ from his royal duties, after he confessed about his controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late billionaire who was accused of sexual assaulting a minor, in a BBC interview. Although he no longer performs any royal duties, he has not lost his title and still gets a share of the royal money.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the royal exit early last year. According to their announcement on their website and official Instagram account on January 8, 2020, they stated, “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”

While the couple initially sought to achieve financial independence, the recent tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey revealed a lot more. From the existing racism in the royal household to matters that sparked suicidal thoughts in Meghan, many things could have lead to the renouncement.

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