Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been left in the dark about whether their children will have royal titles, with reports that King Charles III has yet to decide. It is understood that the Prince and his father the new King had a "brief discussion” about the children's titles before Harry returned to the USA but nothing has yet been decided.
Harry’s two children Archie and Lilibet are entitled to be named Prince and Princess as grandchildren of the new King. However, no public announcements have yet to be made by the Royal Family, and there are reports that the Duke wants to leave the decision up to the children when they are older.
However, this can only be done if the King decides to give them the titles in the first place - which they can then choose to revoke. The Times Newspaper reported that Harry is understood to have emphasised that the children would only be able to have a choice if they were allowed to retain their titles now.
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The Times reported: “Harry is understood to have expressed his desire to let his children decide when they are older, and to have emphasised that would only be possible if they were allowed to retain their titles now. The conversation is understood to have ended unresolved, and to have left the Sussexes dismayed.”
After the death of Her Majesty the Queen on September 8, the line of succession - and in turn official titles - of the Royal Family shifted. As a result, William and Kate’s new titles as the Prince and Princess of Wales were instantly updated on the Royal Family’s official website but Archie and Lilibet’s were not.
Speaking to OK magazine, royal expert Katie Nicholl said this reluctance to update the children's titles immediately will have sent a message that trust needs to be repaired in the family.
She said: “One of the interesting things that came out in all of this was the speculation about titles, and Archie and Lilibet...whether they would officially be acknowledged as Prince and Princess, the titles owed to them when Charles became King. “They remain ‘Miss’ and ‘Master’ currently [on the Royal Website]. And I'm told that that is a very clear signal from the King. He's willing to give those titles, but it comes with a caveat, and that caveat is trust. They have to know that they can trust the [Sussex] family.”
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family in January 2020 and later resigned from royal duties. Prince Harry was recently given special permission by the King to wear military uniform at a vigil held by the Queen's grandchildren while she was lying in state after her death. Until then, the Duke of Sussex had been stripped of his military titles after leaving life as a working royal.
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