Harry and Meghan's son Archie will become a prince after Charles succeeds Queen Elizabeth II as King
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor cannot ignore his royal lineage for too long. Despite Archie parents not wanted to bestow a royal title upon him upon his birth last year and even moving away overseas from the United Kingdom to California to protect their son and bring him up like any other regular kid, Archie is set to automatically become a prince when his grandfather Prince Charles becomes the king of England.
After Queen Elizabeth II is succeeded by her son, Charles, Archie, the 15-month-old who is seventh in line to the British throne will ascend in the line of succession and become a prince. However, it will be up to the child of Harry and Meghan Markle to decide whether he wanted to use the title or not. Also, once Archie reaches the age of 18, he will be called His Royal Highness, according to Express.
This might give rise to an uncomfortable situation with his own parents, especially if Archie decides to embrace his royal heritage. This is because both Harry and Meghan made the unprecedented decision to quit the royal family earlier this year, stepping down from their roles as senior royals at the end of March. As part of their "transition", they even gave up the use of their respective HRH titles.
"As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their 'HRH' prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020," a statement on their website reads.
According to the royal line of succession, that has been in place for centuries, Charles will become king after his mother either chooses to step down or dies. After Charles, the responsibility will fall upon his first-born son, William, followed by the latter's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In the event that none of William's children are fit to become monarchs or decide to abdicate the throne, Prince Harry will become the king after his brother, followed by Archie.
Royal expert Iain MacMarthanne told the Express that being seventh inline means that Archie needs to cater to the rules bound in the 2013 Succession of the Crown Act, which requires members of the royal family to ask for permission from the monarch to marry someone. Although that scenario might be years away from becoming a reality, it is inevitable that Archie will have to ask permission from either his grandfather Charles or uncle William wed the person of his choice, a tradition that his cousins, that is, William's children will also have to follow.
“Should the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wish to marry, they will be required to seek the sovereign’s permission,” MacMarthanne said.
Meanwhile, Archie's position in the line of royal succession could change if one of William and Kate Middleton’s kids gets married and has a child before Archie does. The position can be pushed back further if William and Kate decide to have more kids in the future.
However, for now, Harry and Meghan are focused on bringing up their only son as normally as possible. Harry “wants to shield his son from the negativity and tension he would’ve been exposed to back in England. Harry knows what it’s like to grow up in the spotlight, and he wants to give Archie the most normal upbringing possible,” a source told US Weekly back in March.
