Harry and Meghan's spokesperson already used the title for Lilibet, calling her 'Princess' when confirming the baby girl's christening.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have backed away from their royal duties, but their kids still get royal titles! With Harry’s dad becoming King Charles III after the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ son Archie, 3, and baby girl Lilibet, 1, are afforded the titles of prince and princess respectively, per Buckingham Palace’s website, where kids are listed as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan even used the designation when confirming Lilibet’s recent christening, saying, “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
When Archie and Lilibet were born, they did not receive such nifty titles, as they were merely the great-grandchildren of the ruling monarch. Instead, they were styled as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.” However, when the Queen Mother passed away in September 2022, everyone’s position appeared to have been boosted, including Charles’ second wife Camilla.
The title strategy didn’t come at the whim of the new king. Instead, it was laid out by King George V after he issued a Letters Patent in 1917 that read: “…the grandchildren of the sons of any such sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of these our realms,” per People.
As fans will recall, the title for Harry and Meghan’s first bundle of joy was a point of contention with Buckingham Palace. During their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the gorgeous couple revealed that Archie might not ever be called “prince.” Meghan explained, “They were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security.” She added that the title wouldn’t matter as long as it meant Archie was “going to be safe.”
“And it’s not our decision to make,” Meghan added. “Even though I have a lot of clarity of what comes with the titles good and bad…that is their birthright to then make a choice about.”
Meanwhile, the couple were said to have invited Prince William, Kate Middleton, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla to Lilibet’s christening. Although the group did not attend, the friendly invitation came on the heels of King Charles extending an invitation to Harry and Meghan for his coronation on May 6 2023 in London. As fans know, there has been royal family strife ever since Harry and Meghan dropped their royal duties, made scandalous claims against Buckingham Palace and jetted off to California. With the invitation news, it appears there may be moves for reconciliation.
