Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were hoping Buckingham Palace would "jump the gun" and announce their children's new titles first, an expert has claimed.
It has emerged that the couple has started using the titles prince and princess for their children Archie and Lilibet.
The youngsters became a prince and princess when their grandfather King Charles acceded to the throne, but had remained a plain "master” and "miss” on the Buckingham Palace website until last week.
News of the new titles only emerged when the Sussexes made a statement confirming that young daughter Lilibet had been christened - and referred to her as Princess Lilibet.
But according to royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward, Harry and Meghan appeared to want the Palace to announce the new titles - and not leave it to them to confirm them.
She told the Mirror: "Archie and Lilibet have been allowed to use this style since their great-grandmother died, but their parents have chosen not to until now.
"How interesting they waited six months to do this. They were hoping the Palace would jump the gun and announce it before they did. No such luck.
"Buckingham Palace left their website intact and allowed the Sussexes to make the move themselves so they couldn’t complain.
"The royal website was updated a couple of days after the Sussex’s announcement. No one is going to push the traditions of the monarchy aside.
"Wanting the perks without the responsibility never works. Archie and Lilibet will learn this one day and then make their own choices."
Just days after the news emerged about Archie and Lilibet's titles, it was announced by the palace that the King's youngest brother Prince Edward was also being awarded a new title
He has been handed his late father Prince Philip's former title of Duke of Edinburgh, making his wife Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh.
And Ingrid noted the differences between the two title announcements - and the one word featured in one, but not the other.
She explained: "The contrast between the way in which Harry and Meghan released the news of their children’s royal titles and the way King Charles announced his brother’s ennoblement was stark.
"King Charles issued a formal statement from Buckingham Palace to say he was ‘pleased’ to confer the Dukedom of Edinburgh upon The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar.
"It was such a grand announcement it felt as if it were in a gilded frame pinned to the Buckingham Palace railings.
"Harry and Meghan on the other hand asked their spokesperson to announce when their 21-month-old daughter Lilibet was christened in Los Angeles last week she would be baptised using the royal style princess. Archie in turn would use the style, Prince.
"It is so much easier to do things in the traditional style."
Meanwhile, she added that the King picked the perfect time to announce his brother and sister-in-law as the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
Ingrid said: "Edward knew he was going to get the title as his late father had requested he should.
"The King bided his time until the moment was right. Edward’s birthday two months before the coronation was the perfect moment.
"Beforehand might have been too close to the late Queen’s death on September 8 last year. Any later and it might have had to wait until the day of the Coronation."
Ingrid Seward is editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and a royal biographer.
