Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s children’s titles are now reflected on the royal family’s website.
The palace updated the royal family’s official website early Thursday to reflect Prince Archie Harrison and Princess Lilibet Diana’s titles. They were previously styled as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.”
Archie and Lili’s prince and princess titles are in line with the precedent established by King George V after he issued a Letters Patent in 1917, which conferred the title of prince or princess on male line grandchildren of the sovereign.
Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, Harry’s father became King Charles — and as grandchildren of the monarch, 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lili were afforded the titles of prince and princess.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of SusS.e.x told PEOPLE. “This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, first referred to their children’s royal titles while confirming the news of their daughter’s March 3 christening in California.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet did not receive the titles when they were born because they were great-grandchildren of the monarch.
However, their cousins — Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — did get the titles as the children of the eldest son of the (now former) Prince of Wales.
The Royal Household
When Prince Harry and Meghan were married in May 2018, Queen Elizabeth gave them the titles of Duke and Duchess of SusS.e.x. Archie was entitled to the “courtesy title” of Earl of Dumbarton upon his birth, but the couple did not give him a courtesy title at that time. Down the line, Archie could be given the secondary SusS.e.x title before inheriting the dukedom.
The royal family’s website took nearly five weeks to add Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna Elizabeth to the line of succession after her birth in September 2021. Royal.UK took just seven weeks to add Meghan and Harry’s daughter Lili to the list after her birth in June 2021. When Princess Eugenie welcomed her son August in February 2021, the website did not add him for nearly two months.
Some members of the royal family have turned down titles for their children. Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne, refused titles for her two children, Peter and Zara. “Zara always says she’s so pleased she wasn’t given a title,” Phil Tindall, the father of her husband, Mike Tindall, previously told the Sunday Times, adding that the lack of a title has enabled Zara and brother “to live their own lives.”
Similarly, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of WesS.e.x opted not to use prince and princess titles for their children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.
“We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living,” the Sophie told Times of London about their decision to not use “His/Her Royal Highness” titles for Louise and James. “Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
Although Meghan and Prince Harry have largely kept their children out of the public eye, they shared several personal photos and video clips featuring Archie and Lili in their Netflix show Harry & Meghan, which premiered in December on the streaming service.
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