Why did Meghan Markle leave out royal title on daughter Lilibet Diana's birth certificate?
It seems Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's newborn daughter Lilibet Diana has different names for parents on her birth certificate than brother Archie. According to PEOPLE, unlike son Archie's birth certificate, Meghan Markle has chosen to leave out her royal title in her daughter's document. Instead of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, she opted for her original birth name Rachel Meghan Markle to be listed as Lilibet Diana's mother.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, did not abandon his royal titles, as his first name has been mentioned on the certificate as 'The Duke of Sussex', while his last name has been listed as 'His Royal Highness', as per the norm. The certificate further reveals that Lilibet Diana was born on June 4, 2021, at 11:40 am at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, which is near the couple's luxury home in Montecito, California. Meghan has not issued any statement on the reason why she chose to leave out her royal title. Some are speculating that it has to do with the rift between the royal family and the Sussexes.
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Why did Meghan Markle leave out her royal title?
Lilibet Diana was born on June 4, after which Harry and Meghan posted a statement together on the Archewell website. "On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family," the statement read.
The birth certificate mandates the legal and maiden name of a newborn child's mother. When Harry and Meghan's son Archie was born in May 2019, his birth certificate was made public eleven days later. There, Harry's name was listed as "His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex" while Meghan's name was mentioned as "Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex." The occupations of the couple were mentioned as "Prince" and "Princess of the United Kingdom" on the certificate. It is important to note here that Meghan never had a princess title to her name, even prior to Megxit in 2020.
A year after Archie's birth, Harry and Meghan decided to step away from their royal duties and moved to the US soon afterward. As the conflict between the pair and the British royals intensified, they were stripped of most of their titles, barring the 'Duke and Duchess of Sussex' - the titles they were bestowed with at the time of the wedding. According to their agreement with Queen Elizabeth in 2020, they were allowed to retain their His/Her Highness titles but no longer use them. Ever since the couple has been addressed as Harry and Meghan by the public.
A few months prior to Lilibet Diana's birth, Meghan and Harry appeared together on a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they opened up about their struggles within the Firm. This further soured their relationship with the family, to the extent that Harry was barely on talking terms with his brother William before Prince Philip's funeral.
Now, Meghan leaving out her royal title altogether in their daughter's birth certificate might have larger implications than anticipated. Issued in California, Lilibet Diana's birth certificate excludes her parents' occupations.
According to PEOPLE, Archie and Lilibet Diana will inherit Prince and Princess titles when Prince Charles accedes to the British throne.