Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's firstborn will not be a prince nor a princess unless the Queen steps in
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting their first child together after getting married in May earlier this year. Harry and Meghan's child will be the seventh in line to the throne.
The child will come behind their father (Prince Harry) in the line and has knocked back his uncle Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, further down the line to number eight. Harry and Meghan's child will not be given the title of prince or princess unless the Queen chooses to intervene and bend the rules. If it is a boy, then he would be given the title the Earl of Dumbarton while a daughter would be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
Kensington Palace made an official announcement where they confirmed that Meghan Markle is pregnant with her first child and that the baby is expected in Spring 2019. The news came shortly after Meghan and Harry kicked off their first major international tour.
A spokesman for Kensington Palace shared, "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019. Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public".
While attending the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, Meghan and Harry shared the news with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in person.
The royal baby will reportedly take on the Sussex title the same way that Prince William and Kate Middleton's children George, Charlotte, and Louis have taken on the Cambridge title as their last name at school. Since Harry is the second son of the current Prince of Wales, his children will not have the title of prince or princess. It was Harry's great-great-grandfather King George V who limited titles within the royal family in 1917.
Since Harry and Meghan's child will be too far down the line of succession, they will not be referred to as His/Her Royal Highness. King George V had declared, "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".