Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were officially given their royal titles in 2023, when Archie was four and ‘Lili’ Diana was two.
But back in 2021, during their candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their concerns about their children having royal titles. So what changed since then?
At the time of their births, neither Archie nor Lilibet had royal titles, following a long-standing tradition within the royal family — something that upset their parents. Here’s a detailed look at what Harry and Meghan said both before and after their children received their official titles.
Meghan Markle’s Issue Over Prince Archie’s Title
In her revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle said her son was denied a royal title because of his race.
However, experts clarified that the reason was actually that only the grandchildren of the current monarch receive the royal title of Prince or Princess. Since Archie is Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandchild, he wasn’t eligible for the title — the same applied to Lilibet, who was born in 2021.
During the CBS interview, Meghan said: “They didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol, and [said] that he wasn’t going to receive security.”
When Oprah asked if this upset her, Meghan responded: “All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment I don’t personally have. I have been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess, and I’ve always just been Meghan.
“The most important title I will ever have is Mom but the idea of our son not being safe and also the idea of the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be…”
She also claimed the rules were changed while she was pregnant.
“It’s not their right to take it away…” she said. “While I was pregnant they said they want to change the convention for Archie. Well, why?”
What does royal protocol say about titles?
The rule we follow today was set by King George V, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather, back in November 1917.
He issued a letter patent stating that only the monarch’s great-grandchildren who are the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would automatically be princes or princesses.
