That’s prince and princess to you.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s kids have brand-new titles. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace updated the family website, referring to them as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Though Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals, they chose to hold on to their noble names, and have been very vocal about their kids having them, too. The couple even hinted at their designation on Wednesday after Lilibet’s christening when they referred to her as “princess” in a statement.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became Monarch,” a spokesperson told Good Morning America. “This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
So does that mean all that family drama is in the past? Well, not exactly. Earlier this month, King Charles III asked Harry and Meghan to move out of their royal residence at Frogmore Cottage in the U.K. The pair is also still weighing whether they’ll attend his coronation in May. Amid the continued fallout, here’s what we know about the decision.
Why were Archie and Lilibet’s names changed?
This move was in response to a written order by King George V in 1917, which states that any children born from the sons of the sovereign are to be referred to as prince and princess, according to the independent news site Royal Central. So for Archie and Lilibet, these titles weren’t automatic, but rather they were gained when their grandfather, Charles, became king in September. They are now sixth and seventh in line for the throne.
Even with this protocol in place, whether or not Harry and Meghan’s kids would receive titles remained a major question mark amid their ongoing rift with the royal family across the pond. In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said “they” — presumably the palace — wanted to change the protocol to revoke Archie’s royal title, something she saw as critical to providing security to protect her son. “I was very scared of having to offer up our baby, knowing that they weren’t going to be kept safe,” she said at the time.
Meghan, who is biracial, also suggested that Archie’s title was initially withheld because of racism, while experts have chalked this up to a misunderstanding of the way these names are handed down. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II amended the rules to decree that the children of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, would be princes and princesses but this change didn’t include Harry and Meghan.
Did others in the royal family get new titles?
Just like their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are now the Princes and Princess of Wales. As for their parents, Prince William took on the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwall in addition to the Duke of Cambridge. Their mom, Princess Kate, is also now the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
But not everyone entitled to royal titles has been as eager to claim them. So far, the children of Prince Edward, the king’s younger brother, have decided not to use their titles but this is nothing new. The king’s sister, Princess Anne, has also declined a royal name in the past even when she was offered one by her mom, Queen Elizabeth II.
“I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles,” she told Vanity Fair in 2020.
