In Sunday night’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said the royal family had decided not to grant them a title son ArchieShe said she had never been given a reason for being “the first member of color in this family.” [was] not get titles in the same way as other grandchildren, ”and she said she did conversations around the same time about “how dark” Archie’s skin would be.
Meghan cited a “convention” that the prince’s grandchildren are called prince or princess. Under the protocol established by King George V in 1917, the children and grandchildren of a sovereign are automatically entitled to the title HRH, or His or Her Royal Highness, and the title of prince or princess. That extension does not apply to a monarch’s great-grandchildren, although Queen Elizabeth made an exception by giving the titles to William’s children because they are directly in the line of succession
When Archie was born, Harry and Meghan announced his name as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the surname used by the royal family. But, as Meghan pointed out in the interview, Archie and the baby girl they are expecting this summer would have the right to become prince and princess if Harry’s father, Prince Charles, becomes king.
Even with that convention I’m talking about – while I was pregnant, they said they wanted to change the convention for Archie. Why?’ Meghan said. She said she never got an answer.
While Charles never spoke specifically about Harry and Archie’s titles, the Daily Mail reported in 2019 that Charles wanted to reduce the number of members of the family with royal titles, especially in the aftermath of the scandal over Prince Andrew’s connection with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn also said in 2019 that there is “the issue of the size of the family and everything they do, but I think the public as a whole would like to see those kinds of changes and the debate over the behavior. Prince Andrew really brought that up. ”
But at the time, it was reported that Charles wanted to keep titles for his sons and their wives and children. In the line of succession after Queen Elizabeth II, Charles is the first, William the second, and William’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are third, fourth and fifth. William’s younger brother Harry is now sixth in line to the throne, Archie is seventh and Harry and Meghan’s daughter is eighth.
Other than William’s three children, Queen Elizabeth’s five other great-grandchildren have no titles, although it is unclear whether that is of their own choosing. For example, Princess Anne and her ex-husband chose not to give titles to their children, and neither of Anne’s grandchildren has titles.
When Harry’s parents got divorced, his mother Diana lost proper use of HRH and was given the courtesy title Diana, Princess of Wales. Then Harry and Meghan split from the royal family – after Archie was born – they agreed to drop the HRH from their titles as well. But Harry is still a prince, and the couple also retain the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan told Oprah that Archie’s title was not the “decision they had to make,” but rather, “that’s their birthright to make a choice about.”
Meghan said the conversation they had with palace officials about the level of security they would receive was also related to whether or not Archie would be a prince. She said it was the security protections – not the royal status – that she really cared about.
“All the greatness around this stuff is an attachment that I personally don’t have,” she said. “I’ve been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess, I’ve always been Meghan. So to me I know clearly who I am, regardless of that stuff, and the most important title I’ll ever have is Mom. I know. But the idea that our son is not safe and also the idea that the first member of color in this family will not be given the same title as other grandchildren. ”
Meghan said they were not asked to take the traditional photo of the front of the hospital after Archie was born because he wouldn’t be a prince.
Around the same time, when she was still pregnant, she said there were also conversations going on in the royal family about ‘how dark’ Archie’s skin would be.
“In the months that I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have the same conversation that he won’t get certainty, he won’t get a title, and also worries and conversations about how dark his skin is. , ”said Meghan.
“What?” Oprah asked. ‘Who’s having that conversation with you? What?’
“There were several conversations,” Meghan said specifying, “with Harry.”
Meghan declined to say who was conducting the conversation, noting that it “would be very damaging to them.” She said Harry told her.
“It was really hard to think of those as compartmentalized conversations,” she said.
Harry said it wasn’t a conversation he ever wanted to discuss. Oprah said he later clarified that it was not his grandmother or grandfather who made the comment.
Besides Queen Elizabeth granting a special dispensation for William’s children, there have been other changes to protocol over the years regarding titles and even the line of succession. For example, in 2013, Queen Elizabeth amended the crown law’s succession to end the male birthright system, in which a youngest son took precedence over an older daughter. Because of this change. Princess Charlotte remains fourth in line for the throne, instead of her younger brother pushing her aside.