Archie and Lilibet, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially been named as prince and princess on the Royal Family’s website. However, the way their titles were announced was starkly different from how their cousins, the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, received their titles. Moreover, Harry and Meghan are said to have had a ‘secret hope’ that their children’s titles would have been announced by the Palace before they did.
According to OK, Archie, who was born in May 2019, and Lilibet, who was born in June 2021, are the grandchildren of King Charles III, who ascended to the throne in September 2023, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. According to the rules set by King George V in 1917, the grandchildren of the monarch in the male line are entitled to use the titles of prince and princess¹. Therefore, Archie and Lilibet became Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex when their grandfather became king.
However, their titles were not announced by the Palace or the King, but by their parents, Harry and Meghan, who live in the US and have stepped back from their roles as senior royals. Harry and Meghan revealed their children’s titles for the first time on March 3, 2024, when they announced that Lilibet had been christened at their home in California. In a statement, they referred to their daughter as Princess Lilibet Diana.
The next day, the Royal Family’s official website was updated with the new titles, listing Harry and Meghan’s children as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on the line of succession page. A spokesperson for the Sussexes said that the children’s titles had been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch, and that the matter had been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.
The way Archie and Lilibet’s titles were announced contrasted with how their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the children of William and Kate, received their titles. George, Charlotte, and Louis are the direct heirs to the throne, and they have always used the titles of prince and princess since their birth. Their titles were announced by the Palace and the King, and they were also given the traditional royal christening at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to use prince and princess titles for their children also surprised some royal watchers, who expected them to follow a more modern and low-key approach. Harry and Meghan had previously said that they wanted their children to have a normal life, and that they did not want to use their HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) styles. They had also chosen not to give Archie a courtesy title, such as Earl of Dumbarton, when he was born.
However, according to a source close to the couple, Harry and Meghan had a ‘secret hope’ that their children’s titles would have been announced by the Palace before they did. The source said that Harry and Meghan felt that their children deserved to be recognised as prince and princess, and that they wanted to show their respect and loyalty to the King and the institution. The source also said that Harry and Meghan hoped that their children’s titles would help to heal the rift with the royal family, and that they would be welcomed back into the fold
