Contrary to popular belief, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son, Archie, isn’t actually a Prince – and the reason behind it is a lot more complex than we realised.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry opened up about their son in the tell-all interview with Oprah and explained that the palace decided Archie would go without a “prince” title because it would come with extra security.
Speaking to Oprah in the explosive CBS interview, which covered everything from racism to suicidal ideation, Meghan explained: “They were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security.
“This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I was going, hold on for a second. They said [he’s not going to get security], because he’s not going to be a prince. Okay, well, he needs to be safe so we’re not saying don’t make him a prince or princess, but if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect that protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder you’ve allowed that to happen which means our son needs to be safe.”
Meghan also touched on the reason why they wanted Archie to have the title of Prince – and it wasn’t for the reason many would expect.
“If it meant he was going to be safe, of course. All the grandeur around this stuff is an attachment I don’t have…the most important title I will ever have is mom,” she told the host.
The reason Archie’s cousins have the titles of ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ is thanks to a rule made back in 1917 by King George V, who restricted the number of family members who could possess such a title.
According to him: “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.”
Based on his rule, children of the sovereign (i.e., Prince Charles, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne) are entitled to the titles, as are the children of the sovereign’s sons (e.g., Prince Harry and Prince William), and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (i.e., Prince George). Therefore, because Archie is the second son of Prince Charles, his children are not guaranteed the title of “prince” or “princess.”
Princess Charlotte is however entitled to the title because Queen Elizabeth II issued a letter patent that removed the first-child-only decree in 2013.
Complex stuff, isn’t it?