‘Titles Matter to King Charles’ and if He Follows Another Royal Archie and Lilibet Won’t Get Them, Expert Claims
Ever since Queen Elizabeth II died and her oldest son became King Charles III, there’s been a looming question about the titles of “prince” and “princess” for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, Archie, and their daughter, Lilibet. But so far, the king has not commented publicly on that and reportedly thinks royal titles are “earned, not given.”
It’s being claimed that King Charles could follow what another royal did and if he chooses to then he will issue a Letters Patent to change Archie and Lili’s status. He may also seek an act of Parliament to strip Prince Harry and Meghan of their titles as well as take away his brother Prince Andrew’s.
Do Prince Harry and Meghan’s kids already have titles?
Following the queen’s death, many royal watchers noted that Archie and Lilibet both have the right to HRH status as grandchildren of the new monarch and because Charles is the king they are technically a prince and princess.
The royal protocol for this was created by King George V in 1917 and dictates that the children and grandchildren of the sovereign have an automatic right to the title HRH and prince or princess.
“Despite Harry and Meghan stepping away [as working members of the royal family in 2020], their children Archie and Lili became a prince and princess when Queen Elizabeth II died in September,” The Mirror reported. However, given that state of the Sussexes’ strained relationship with the royals, no one was sure what was going to happen. And on the family’s website, Archie is still listed as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and Lili as “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.”
If King Charles follows another royal then Archie and Lilibet won’t get titles
There were reports that King Charles was holding up the titles of Meghan and Harry’s kids until after the duke released his memoir Spare. Yet, the Palace has still not said anything about the titles even though Spare has been out since January. Now, royal expert Katie Nicholl is claiming that Archie and Lili will not get the titles if King Charles follows the European-style monarchy.
Speaking to Palace Confidential on Mailplus, Nicholl explained: “We all know Charles has long wanted a streamlined monarchy and it’s very interesting that Queen Margrethe [of Denmark] has just stripped family members other than those in direct line of accession of those HRH titles. The constitutional experts I have spoken to … they saw this pattern of the British monarchy moving more into a sort of European-style royalty. If that is the case then possibly they’re not going to get these titles.”
She added: “One thing we know is that titles matter to Charles; it was important to him that Queen Consort Camilla had that title. We don’t know what’s going to happen about the Duke of Edinburgh title and we don’t know if he’s going to give [prince and princess] to Archie and Lilibet.
“It would be the most extraordinary olive branch and act of reconciliation if he did but I think if that happens it’s going to come with a caveat. He’s going to insist that Harry and Meghan are respectful of the institution if they are taking the titles of the institution.”
The king could strip the Sussexes titles as well as Prince Andrew’s
Given that King Charles has said he wants a “streamed down monarchy” and according to the Daily Mail, some royals were told “to tighten their belts and to expect less money from the Duchy [of Lancaster] — now owned by Charles — than in the past. Aware of public opinion, the king is said to be keen to reduce expenditure and ‘slim down’ the monarchy. Although the Duchy funds are private, he has ordered a major review of how it is spent.”
In her column for the New Zealand Herald Daniela Elser wrote: “Now, we are facing the possibility that Charles is about to go after [Prince Andrew’s] royal perks and really relegate him to second-string status. And if His Majesty is willing to come down hard on him, then that leaves Harry and Meghan without their ‘what about Andrew’ safety net.”
In early February, British lawmaker Bob Seely said he would introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the Sussexes of their royal titles.
