Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet will NOT be a princess, here's why
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, on Friday, June 4, 2021. However, unlike Prince William and Kate Middleton's children, who were bestowed with the titles of prince or princess at birth, Harry and Meghan's daughter will not enjoy the same honor.
In March 2021, during the former royals' bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan had shockingly claimed how their son Archie was stripped of his 'Prince' title, with royal rules being 'unfairly' altered for him. However, royal experts have revealed to Daily Mail the real reason why Archie or Lilibet are not entitled as 'His/Her Royal Highness'. The reason, surprisingly, has nothing to do with Harry and Meghan stepping down as royals. Rather, its root dates back to 1917 and lies with a patent signed by Queen Elizabeth's grandfather King George V.
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Why is Lilibet not a princess?
According to royal experts, both Lilibet and Archie will gain the HRH titles once Prince Charles assumes the throne as king, thereby moving them forward in the line of succession. Presently, Archie remains seventh in the line of succession while his newborn sister is eighth.
Confusion arose when Meghan confided in Oprah during the interview how she felt that the royals were alienating Archie by changing the rules unfairly and inexplicably for him.
"In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, 'you won't be given security, not gonna be given a title' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," Meghan famously said.
Following the controversial interview, royal experts have cited a rule from 1917 passed by King George V. According to letters patent signed by the monarch at the time, royal offsprings who are directly in the line of succession to the throne can be bestowed with the titles of His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) and made a prince or princess. "...The grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of these our realms," stated the signed Letters Patent.
Thus, according to the rule, Prince William and Duchess Catherine's eldest son Prince George should only be entitled to be a prince. However, in 2013, ahead of Prince George's birth, Queen Elizabeth issued a new letters patent that ensured all siblings of Prince George are entitled as well, being the children of future monarch William. As per the 1917 rule that still applies to Archie and Lilibet, they can assume the title of HRH only after Charles accedes to the throne. Though Prince Harry and Meghan have stepped down from the positions of senior royals, they continue to use their title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, the prospect of Archie or Lilibet's entitlement is not threatened by their parents' decision to step away from royal duties.