The children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will now be called Prince and Princess after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went public that they claim the royal titles.
The announcement came after Princess Lilibet was christened in California, where the Sussexes live now that they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.
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“I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was baptized on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor,” a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday, using the full title of “Princess Lilibet” to refer to them. the first time. time.
Under royal rules, the monarch’s grandchildren can become princes or princesses of the kingdom. This means Harry’s children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, can use the titles since their grandfather became king last September.
Until now, it was unclear if Harry and Markle wanted their children to be called Prince and Princess.
Interest in Harry’s children’s titles comes after his relationship with his father, King Charles, hit rock bottom following the publication of his telltale memoir earlier this year. The book included numerous negative allegations against the royal family, including a claim that his older brother, Prince William, had been physically abusive to him.
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Last week it was revealed that King Charles had evicted Harry and Markle from their UK residence Frogmore Cottage, a day after the book was published.
On the Royal Family’s website, Archie and Lilibet continue to be referred to as ‘master’ and ‘miss’. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the royal website would be updated to reflect the title changes “in due course”.
The modern rules on who can call themselves prince and princess in the British royal family stem from a precedent set by King George V, who in 1917 issued letters patent intended to reduce the size of the monarchy. He limited the use of these titles to the ruler’s male-line children and grandchildren.
Queen Elizabeth II then changed the rules to confer titles on all of the Prince of Wales’ children.
When Archie and Lilibet were born, they were great-grandchildren of then-reigning Queen Elizabeth II, meaning they weren’t eligible to use the titles.
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Markle said in an interview two years ago that the British royal family refused to make her son Archie a prince and had conversations about how dark his skin was.
The ever-widening rift between the Sussexes and the Royal Family could mean they could skip the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.
Harry and Markle received an invitation, but declined to say whether they would attend. The coronation is set to fall on Archie’s fourth birthday.
— With files from Reuters
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