Harry and Meghan finally confirm their kids’ titles
Harry and Meghan have reportedly confirmed the royal titles of their children, Archie and Lilibet, in a statement.
The pair also revealed that young Lilibet had been christened in a quiet ceremony at home in California, and it was one glaring detail that caught the attention of eagle-eyed readers.
“Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor,” a statement to People read.
The same publication reported that the ceremony was attended by around 20 to 30 people, and that Meghan’s mother - Doria Ragland - and actor Tyler Perry - who is Lilibet’s godfather - were there. The British royals, despite the Sussexes having “extended an invite to King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton” did not attend.
Buckingham Palace later confirmed that the line of succession list on its website would be updated to reflect this.
Archie and Lilibet had been awarded the title of prince and princess when Harry’s father, King Charles III, had inherited the throne. However, Buckingham Palace’s website had listed them as “master” and “miss” respectively, and their true titles had remained a widely debated issue upon the Duke and Duchess’ move from the United Kingdom to the United States.
And in 2021, during an interview with Oprah, Meghan even claimed that the palace “didn’t want him [Archie] to become a prince.”
She went on to explain that while the titles weren’t important to her, through her pregnancy she and Harry had the same concerns for their son should he not be recognised as a prince.
And before Archie’s birth, he had allegedly been offered the courtesy title of ‘Earl of Dumbarton’, but his parents turned it down.
“They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton,” a source told The Telegraph at the time, “because it began with the word ‘dumb’ [and] they were worried about how that might look.”
Under rules established by King George V in 1917, prince or princess was a title only given to the monarch’s grandchildren through the male line, and one other family member - but not the great grandchildren. The only other family member in the direct line of succession entitled to the title is the eldest great grandson.
George, William and Kate’s eldest, holds the title of prince through this ruling. And in 2012, the late queen changed the rules so that the couples’ youngest children, Charlotte and Louis, might also carry the titles of princess and prince.
However, upon Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, Archie and Lilibet became the acting monarch’s grandchildren, and questions over what titles they would bear began anew.
Questions that have now, apparently, been answered.
Images: Netflix