To become a bonafide “princess,” royal protocol dictates that one must either be born the daughter of the sovereign or a prince—or become a prince's wife, and therefore take his title upon marriage. So, marrying Prince Harry won't technically make Meghan a true princess.
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.
It turns out, there are two ways to become a British princess: to be born the daughter of a prince, or to marry one. On top of that, only those born into the royal family can use the title princess (or prince, for that matter) before their name.
Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 gave the children and grandchildren of a sovereign the automatic right to the HRH, prince and princess titles. When Archie was born, he was the great-grandchild of a sovereign rather than a grandchild, so was not given the title.
LONDON — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan announced Wednesday that their daughter had been christened in a private ceremony in California, publicly calling her a princess and revealing for the first time that they will use royal titles for their children.
Prince William became The Duke of Cambridge after marrying Kate Middleton, making Kate The Duchess of Cambridge. Royal insiders correctly speculated that Harry, on the other hand, would likely become The Duke of Sussex on his own wedding day. That makes Meghan The Duchess of Sussex.
Do Prince Harry and Meghan Still Have Royal Titles? Yes. Prince Harry and Meghan are still the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles conferred by Queen Elizabeth on their 2018 wedding day.
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.
The reason? They're simply too young to attend such heavy royal events. It seems the Prince and Princess of Wales, aka William and Kate, made a similar choice with their youngest child, Prince Louis, who is 4 years old.
Harry and Meghan's children have been named prince and princess on the Royal Family's website as the couple said it was their "birthright". It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly used the titles prince and princess for Archie and Lilibet for the first time.
Why isn't Kate called Princess? Even though Kate's mother-in-law was legendary 'Princess Diana', she is not a princess just because she married Prince William. To become a Princess, one has to be born into the Royal Family such as Prince William and Kate's daughter, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
While both duchesses and princesses are royalty, and princesses technically outrank duchesses, the relationship between the two titles is not always clearly defined. Princesses are usually the daughters or granddaughters of a king or queen.
Princess of Wales
Kate inherited the title from her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who was married to Prince Charles—now King Charles III—from 1981 to 1996. While Kate is colloquially referred to as Princess Catherine or Princess Kate, her correct royal name is actually Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Prince Archie of Sussex as his officially awarded royal title suggests, inherited part of Queen Elizabeth's wealth.
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.
The Sussexes' children Archie, 3, and Lilibet Diana, 1, now have the right to be called prince and princess, but the decision rests with their grandfather, the King, who takes titles of nobility very seriously.
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.
In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, Prince Harry admitted that he was surprised when both his 3-year-old son Archie and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet with wife Meghan Markle inherited his own red hair. A trait he believes was passed down through his mother Princess Diana's side of the family.
Harry remained a Prince, and the couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as His/Her Royal Highness (HRH). He also gave up his military titles and no longer wears army uniform in public.
The Duchess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle, married Prince Harry at St George's Chapel, Windsor in May 2018. The Duke and Duchess have two children, Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. As announced in January 2020, The Duke and Duchess have stepped back as senior members of The Royal Family.
Harry was born in 1984 when his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was monarch and his father was heir apparent. His older brother, Prince William, was (and still is) behind their father. Harry became third in succession to Elizabeth's throne.
In the event of Prince William's death occurring before King Charles's, Prince Harry would still not be the next choice for king. Instead, that honor would move on to Prince William's eldest son, Prince George.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have an estimated net worth of $60 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The couple has signed a series of lucrative deals including documentaries, books, podcasts and more, worth an estimated total of $135 million, according to Forbes.
The answer, it seems, can be summed up in three words: planning, parenting and regrouping. Parenting is part of the reason the Duchess decided not to come to the Coronation, friends have said, as it falls on the same day as Prince Archie's fourth birthday.
Though Harry's prince title is a birthright and cannot be taken away, the Duke of Sussex title was a gift from Her late Majesty upon his marriage to Meghan in 2018.