All round

Meghan says Royal Family doesn’t have any right to DENY Archie the Prince title

Via

News Desk

Updated on April 1, 2021

54 Comments

See more articles on:

get top stories via email

Meghan claims that it was not the royal family’s “right to strip away” Archie’s title.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, revealed in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night that the royal family had opted not to bestow a title on their son Archie. She said she was never told that “the first member of color of this family [was] not being titled in the same manner as other grandchildren would be,” and that there were debates over “how dark” Archie’s skin would be at the same time.

Meghan cited a “tradition” where the monarch’s grandchildren be named prince or princess. The children and grandchildren of a monarch have the automatic right to the title HRH, or His or Her Royal Highness, as well as the title of prince or princess, thanks to a convention developed by King George V in 1917. The extension would not extend to a monarch’s great-grandchildren, though Queen Elizabeth extended the titles to William’s children because they are immediately in line of succession.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born on May 6th But there was no honorary title in sight as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex formally revealed the royal baby’s name on Wednesday.

According to Marlene Koenig, an author and authority on British and European royalty, Archie, who was first revealed to the media, is officially expected to inherit his father’s earldom. If the palace declares that Archie would not be referred to as an earl, it can only suggest one thing: the Duke and Duchess wished it that way. “It’s also their mindset that they want their children to have a normal life,” Koenig tells TIME.

Archie’s name was announced as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the royal family’s surname, when he was unveiled by Harry and Meghan. However, as Meghan said in the interview, when Harry’s father, Prince Charles, becomes king, Archie and the baby girl they’re expecting this summer will be entitled to become prince and princess.

“Even with that convention I’m talking about — while I was pregnant, they said they wanted to change the convention for Archie. So, what’s the deal?” Meghan remarked. She said she never received a response.

Many viewers of the British royal family were perplexed by one question after Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey: why doesn’t their son Archie have the title of prince?

Meghan, who married Harry in 2018, was taken aback when she learned while pregnant that Archie will not be given the title of prince or its related security.

“They were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince or a princess — not knowing what the gender would be — which would be different from protocol,” Meghan said.

“The thought of our son not being safe, as well as the idea of the first person of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren will be.”

Archie may be called a prince if his grandfather, Prince Charles, succeeds to the throne, because the king or queen’s offspring and male-line grandchildren earn the title of prince or princess. However, Queen Elizabeth II made an allowance for Prince William’s children, declaring that they will all be princes and princesses years earlier.

Based on discussions Meghan claims she had when pregnant, it’s likely Archie won’t be given either chance to become prince.

Meghan said there were “still questions and talks over how dark his skin could be when he’s born” when Winfrey asked whether she felt Archie’s mixed race was a factor he didn’t get the designation.

Some viewers of the interview noticed that Archie was not granted the title of prince at birth owing to rules defined by King George V more than a century ago.

In 1917, King George V imposed restrictions on which members of the royal family were entitled to the title of “HRH,” or His or Her Royal Highness. According to the Guardian, his declaration reserved prince and princess titles for the monarch’s children, the monarch’s male line grandchildren, and the Prince of Wales’ eldest son.

Archie was born without the designation of prince since he is the queen’s great-grandson. However, if Charles becomes king, he may assume the title.

Meghan mentioned the possibility to Winfrey at another stage in the conversation. “After Harry’s father becomes monarch, Archie and our next baby would naturally become princes or princesses,” Meghan explained.

On the opposite, Meghan assured Winfrey, the royal family had debated enacting new laws that would prevent Archie from ever being a prince. “I think even with that convention I’m talking about, while I was pregnant, they said they want to change the convention for Archie,” she said.

According to the Guardian, such a move would be in line with Charles’ rumored desire to reduce the monarchy’s size. “What Prince Charles would do as he ascends to the throne under a slimmed-down monarchy is just what she’s worried about,” Carolyn Durand, author of “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A New Royal Family,” said on CNN on March 8.

Although Charles has never spoken directly of Harry and Archie’s titles, the Daily Mail stated in 2019 that Charles wished to decrease the number of royal titles in the family, especially in light of the controversy involving Prince Andrew’s association with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said in 2019 that there is “a matter about the scale of the family and what they do,” but that “the country as a whole will like to make certain kinds of reforms, and the controversy about Prince Andrew’s behaviour has really brought that to the fore.”

However, it was stated at the time that Charles decided to retain his sons’ titles, as well as their wives and children.