Under British royal protocol, both Lilibet and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the couple's 3-year-old son, are entitled to the titles of princess and prince as grandchildren of the sitting U.K. monarch. The children were eligible for the titles since Charles became king following Queen Elizabeth II's death in September.
Following the news of Lilibet's christening, Harry and Meghan's spokesperson confirmed in a statement that both their children will now indeed be known as Prince and Princess. “The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” they wrote.
They are also entitled to use the HRH style - although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after leaving the working monarchy. How will the titles be used? It is understood the titles will be used in formal settings but not in everyday conversational use.
The couple referred to their daughter as “Princess Lilibet” during her christening, ending speculation about their children's public titles. Prince Harry and Meghan's children have officially taken on royal titles.
It was through a statement, from Harry's PR team, that we learned his daughter had been christened, and not only that, but she was now being styled Princess Lilibet. A day later, and the palace responds by updating the line of succession online, adding prince and princess to Archie and Lilibet's names.
Update: Following the death of Queen Elizabeth and King Charles III's accession to the throne, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten Windsor immediately became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet as grandchildren of the reigning monarch following the current Letters Patent.
Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, are named as the Prince and Princess of Sussex on the line of succession page. They are sixth and seventh in line to the throne.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will not be stripped of royal titles due to 'Queen's gift'
HELLO! investigates… The monarch has no powers to remove titles and this would require an act of parliament. The last time this happened was in 1917 when King George V passed the Titles Deprivation Act to remove the British peerage titles of several German and Austrian royals during the First World War.
Can Harry and Meghan legally lose their Duke and Duchess titles? Legally, the monarch has no powers to remove a family member's royal titles - it would require an act of parliament to actually happen.
That is the agreement — they can be prince and princess but not HRH because they are not working royals.
According to People, under the current guidelines, the great-grandchildren of the monarch are not princes and princesses except for the children of the eldest son of Prince Charles, who is first in line for the throne.
King Charles will not strip Prince Harry of his Royal title as it was a gift from Queen Elizabeth II and removing the title would mean taking away a gift from a grandchild.
Titles, styles, and succession
At the accession of Charles III, Lilibet became entitled to use the title "princess" and style "royal highness" as the child of a son of the monarch, pursuant to letters patent issued by King George V in 1917.
This means that yes, Harry no longer wishes to be referred to as 'Prince'. Interestingly, however, the Duke of Sussex is still fifth in line for the throne. So, there you have it. Ultimately, the Duke of Sussex is still technically considered to be a prince, even though he wishes otherwise.
At present, Harry is fifth in line to the throne and this is a birthright "privilege" that cannot be revoked without an Act of Parliament being in place.
Right now, King Charles III is not able to strip any Royal Family member of their titles because he doesn't have the authority to do so. Laws would have to change in order for him to do so. Which is what this bill is proposing. The Labour Party politician who proposed this bill is Rachel Maskell, the MP for York.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen, author of The King: The Life of Charles III, tells Marie Claire exclusively that nothing will change in this regard: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their titles, as will Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” he says.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, KCVO (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.
Yes. Prince Harry and Meghan are still the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles conferred by Queen Elizabeth on their 2018 wedding day.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as working members of the Royal Family in 2020. According to GBnews, Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, has predicted the couple will be allowed to keep their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles due to the fact they were granted by the late Queen.
The title of Duke of Sussex actually became extinct in 1843 after its former owner, Prince Augustus Frederick, died, by the way. However, Queen Elizabeth II revived it from the dead and gave it to her grandson when he got married in 2018 because that is the sort of thing queens can do.
The two children are now listed as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on the royal family's line of succession, on which they are fifth and sixth in line to the throne.
Archie and Lilibet automatically became Prince and Princess when their grandfather became King Charles III, however it was uncertain whether Harry and Meghan would choose to use them. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed the use of the titles while announcing Lilibet's recent christening.
After stepping down as working royals, Harry and Markle largely relied on Harry's inheritance from his late mother, Princess Diana, estimated at $10 million.