Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s children were entitled to be known as prince and princess from the moment their grandfather ascended to the throne, but the couple chose not to use the titles
Harry and Meghan with the late Queen Elizabeth II(Image: Getty Images)
Since departing from Royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have continuously expressed their grievances about their strained relationship with the Duke’s family members.
Due to this, supporters were taken aback when the couple suddenly announced their decision to adopt their children’s Royal titles in 2023. The duo shares Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four. The choice reportedly originated from a crucial conversation with two of Harry’s relatives.
This happened even though Meghan and Harry are banned from utilizing their HRH titles, and Meghan’s remarks to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that she felt no “attachment” to the “grandeur” connected with Royal life. The news comes as Sarah Ferguson faces ‘ruin’ after ‘toxic’ Jeffrey Epstein emails expose ties to the NY criminal.
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A spokesperson for the Sussexes declared at the time, “The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Meghan Markle previously shared her thoughts on the monarchy(Image: Samir Hussein, Samir Hussein/WireImagevia Getty Images)
Sources now indicate the pair arrived at this decision after conversations with Harry’s cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. According to a Royal expert, the Sussexes changed their position for specific reasons.
“Harry and Meghan are very, very keen to cling onto those royal titles,” journalist Neil Sean said.
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He added, “After much deliberation, Meghan decided that the titles would be a good thing, not just for her but for both her children too.
“Meghan became very friendly with senior members of the monarchy, predominately Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
“After this, Meghan realised how useful a title can be, particularly when you want to move in the correct circles. That is the reason why they want to clutch hold of titles.”
Meghan with her son Archie in South Africa(Image: Pool, Getty Images)
Archie and Lilibet became eligible to be acknowledged as prince and princess from the instant their grandfather took the throne due to a Royal proclamation established by King George V.
The 1917 Letters Patent declared that only the sovereign’s offspring, direct male-line grandchildren, and the heir apparent’s eldest son could claim a princely designation.
This meant that while Archie and Lilibet served as Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandchildren, they were prevented from holding such titles, but upon King Charles’ succession, they qualified as the monarch’s grandchildren.
Archie and Lilibet snapped helping Meghan on the set of her Netflix show(Image: meghan/Instagram)
A 2012 Letters Patent, issued by Queen Elizabeth, granted the HRH designation upon all children of Charles’ eldest son, ensuring Prince William’s children received “Prince” and “Princess” status at birth. Harry and Meghan’s children are now officially recognized as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex, with the official British Royal family website updating their titles in the line of succession following a delay.
They were previously listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. This wasn’t the first time Harry and Meghan had surprised Royal watchers with decisions about their kids.
The couple allegedly left the late Queen “angry as I’d seen her” over one of their major family decisions, according to a palace source.
The Sussexes departed from Royal responsibilities in January 2020, less than two years after their marriage ceremony. In June of the following year, they welcomed their second child, a daughter they chose to name Lilibet Diana.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their two children(Image: ARCHEWELL)
The name choice definitely created debate among Royal enthusiasts. Lilibet had been the Queen’s private nickname since her early childhood.
The pet name is thought to have started because the young Princess Elizabeth struggled to pronounce her own name correctly.
Lilibet was only used by a handful of people in the Queen’s closest circle – her parents King George VI and the Queen Mother, her late sister Princess Margaret, her husband Prince Philip, and a few close friends. As a result, questions emerged at the time about whether Harry and Meghan had sought prior permission from Her Majesty.
The BBC reported receiving information from a palace source that the Queen hadn’t been consulted, while other news organizations suggested that when approached by the couple, she didn’t believe she could say no.
Nevertheless, a representative for the Sussexes maintained that the pair would never have chosen the name without the Queen being “supportive.”
A statement revealed, “The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called.
“During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
Yet, according to writer Robert Hardman in his book Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, one staff member “privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been ‘as angry as I’d ever seen her’ in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing to call their baby daughter ‘Lilibet’ – the Queen’s childhood nickname.”
He added, “The couple subsequently fired off warnings of legal action against anyone who dared to suggest otherwise, as the BBC had done. However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed.
“Once again, it was a case of ‘recollections may vary’ – the late Queen’s reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview – as far as Her Majesty was concerned. Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialized.”