Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2 children receive royal titles: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
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The British monarchy has introduced two new members — Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie — the two children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Following much debate over the couple’s own titles after they chose to leave their royal duties, Buckingham Palace decided to bless the California kids as members of the monarchy.
Royal titles and the line of succession were updated on the royal family’s website on Thursday. Prince Archie of Sussex is sixth in line for the throne and Princess Lilibet of Sussex is seventh in line for the throne. The Sussex children previously were referred to as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.
Harry and Meghan publicly addressed their children’s title changes when they announced that Lilibet, who turns two in June, was christened last week in California.
“I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor,” a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed in an email on Wednesday, per The Washington Post.
It’s not clear whether any members of the royal family traveled to California to attend the christening.
Why were the Sussex children not given these titles at birth?
Rules governing the titles of royal children were set by King George V (Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather) in 1917. George V set these rules in an attempt to shrink the monarchy — titles are limited to the children of the sovereign, children of sons of the sovereign and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.
According to these rules, Archie and Lilibet were not given the titles “prince” and “princess” when they were born because they were not grandchildren of the monarch, per the BBC. Once Charles became king, the titles were theirs to claim.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” said a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan, per the BBC. “This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Queen Elizabeth slightly amended these rules in 2012. She decreed that children of Prince William and Princess Kate would be princes and princesses. The decree did not apply to Harry’s children, per USA Today.
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Are Harry and Meghan going to King Charles’ coronation?
Harry and Meghan received an invite to the coronation of King Charles III in May, but the couple has yet to publicly confirm if they will attend the ceremony.
“I can confirm the duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation,” a spokesperson for Harry told CNN. “An immediate decision on whether the duke and duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.”
If the couple chooses to attend the coronation, they will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, per the New York Post.
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