diff --git a/include/boost/utility/string_ref.hpp b/include/boost/utility/string_ref.hpp
index f4697eb..706967d 100644
--- a/include/boost/utility/string_ref.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/utility/string_ref.hpp
@@ -147,15 +147,15 @@ namespace boost {
         // modifiers
         void clear() { len_ = 0; }
         void remove_prefix(size_type n) {
-            if ( n > size())
-                BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION( std::out_of_range ( "string_ref::substr" ) );
+            if ( n > len_ )
+                n = len_;
             ptr_ += n;
             len_ -= n;
             }
 
         void remove_suffix(size_type n) {
-            if ( n > size())
-                BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION( std::out_of_range ( "string_ref::substr" ) );
+            if ( n > len_ )
+                n = len_;
             len_ -= n;
             }
 
diff --git a/include/boost/utility/string_view.hpp b/include/boost/utility/string_view.hpp
index 51b2bd6..35471fb 100644
--- a/include/boost/utility/string_view.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/utility/string_view.hpp
@@ -141,15 +141,15 @@ namespace boost {
         void clear() BOOST_NOEXCEPT { len_ = 0; }          // Boost extension
 
         BOOST_CXX14_CONSTEXPR void remove_prefix(size_type n) {
-            if ( n > size())
-                BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION( std::out_of_range ( "string_ref::substr" ) );
+            if ( n > len_ )
+                n = len_;
             ptr_ += n;
             len_ -= n;
             }
 
         BOOST_CXX14_CONSTEXPR void remove_suffix(size_type n) {
-            if ( n > size())
-                BOOST_THROW_EXCEPTION( std::out_of_range ( "string_ref::substr" ) );
+            if ( n > len_ )
+                n = len_;
             len_ -= n;
             }
 
diff --git a/test/string_ref_test1.cpp b/test/string_ref_test1.cpp
index 01584f7..fc88905 100644
--- a/test/string_ref_test1.cpp
+++ b/test/string_ref_test1.cpp
@@ -74,13 +74,6 @@ void test_remove ( const std::string &str ) {
           }
       }
 
-	ref = str;
-	try {
-		ref.remove_prefix(ref.size() + 1);
-		BOOST_TEST(false);
-		}
-	catch ( const std::out_of_range &) {}
-	
     for ( size_t i = 1; i < sz; ++ i ) {
       work = str;
       ref  = str;
@@ -90,13 +83,6 @@ void test_remove ( const std::string &str ) {
           ref.remove_suffix (i);
           }
       }
-
-	ref = str;
-	try {
-		ref.remove_suffix(ref.size() + 1);
-		BOOST_TEST(false);
-		}
-	catch ( const std::out_of_range &) {}
     }
 
 const char *test_strings [] = {
diff --git a/test/string_view_test1.cpp b/test/string_view_test1.cpp
index e3fdb24..c35bbfa 100644
--- a/test/string_view_test1.cpp
+++ b/test/string_view_test1.cpp
@@ -75,13 +75,6 @@ void test_remove ( const std::string &str ) {
           }
       }
 
-	ref = str;
-	try {
-		ref.remove_prefix(ref.size() + 1);
-		BOOST_TEST(false);
-		}
-	catch ( const std::out_of_range &) {}
-
     for ( size_t i = 1; i < sz; ++ i ) {
       work = str;
       ref  = str;
@@ -91,13 +84,6 @@ void test_remove ( const std::string &str ) {
           ref.remove_suffix (i);
           }
       }
-
-	ref = str;
-	try {
-		ref.remove_suffix(ref.size() + 1);
-		BOOST_TEST(false);
-		}
-	catch ( const std::out_of_range &) {}
     }
 
 void test_hash(const std::string& str) {