With Queen Elizabeth‘s passing on Thursday, there are about to be some major changes within the royal family, especially when it comes to the titles.
As we previously reported, Prince Charles now becomes King Charless III and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, receives the controversial title of Queen Consort. The title changes also move down to other royal family members, with his eldest son Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton becoming the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in addition to their title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Who else receives a title change? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 3-year-old son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Yep, their children can now become a prince and princess since the Duke of Sussex moved up the line of succession. They are also able to use His and Her Royal Highness. This is a huge upgrade for the little ones after they weren’t even given ones when they were born!
In case you didn’t know, the letters patent issued by King George V in 1917 basically stated that only the monarch’s children, the children of the monarch’s sons, and the oldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales could obtain a royal title. So what did that mean for Archie and Lilibit? They did not qualify to inherit the label of prince and princess at the time since they were the great-grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth. However, Her Majesty changed the protocol in 2012 to bestow a title to ALL of Will and Kate’s three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – and not just the eldest.
But for Archie and Lilibet, they did not get the same treatments. In March 2021, the former actress claimed to Oprah Winfrey the couple were actually told before their son was born that he would not receive a title, saying:
“They didn’t want him to be a prince or a princess, which would be different from protocol. It was really hard … This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I’m going, ‘Hold on a second. How does that work? … If he’s not gonna be a prince, he needs to be safe.’ … All around this same time, we had in tandem the conversation of he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
But with Charles taking the throne, they are now grandchildren of a sovereign – meaning they can claim the title of prince and princess. Well, that is if the granddad decides to give it to them after becoming king! Here is the deal…
Charles reportedly has been determining whether or not to limit the monarch to only the key people for some time now. A source previously explained to The Sun:
“Charles has never made any secret of the fact that he wants a slimmed-down Monarchy when he becomes King. He realizes that the public don’t want to pay for a huge Monarchy and, as he said, the balcony at Buckingham Palace would probably collapse.”
This means Archie and Lilibet might not get these new distinctions if this happens. Yikes! Of course, he has not made an official announcement, so he could have a change of heart on the matter. But considering tension has been high between Meghan, Harry, Charles, and the rest of the family for a while now, it is a strong possibility the titles could be taken away!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Do you think King Charles will give Archie and Lilibet a title? Drop your reactions in the comments (below).
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