How Did the Decision to Grant Royal Titles to Prince William's Children Affect Prince Harry and Meghan's Relationship with the Rest of the Royal Family?

How did the decision to grant royal titles to Prince William's children affect Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship with the rest of the royal family?

I am absolutely certain that Prince Harry would have been fully aware of the situation regarding the granting of Prince and Princess titles. Not only would he have known that any children he had while his grandmother was alive would NOT have a title from birth, he would also have known that as direct heir to the throne, his brother's children were to be treated differently.

The fact is that royal titles are granted largely through the application of Letters Patent issued in 1917 which award them to the Sovereign's children and to their grandchildren down male lines. Titles were also extended to the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, so William's firstborn son was always in line for a title.

Royal titles are governed by Letters Patent. Prince William's children received their titles at birth. Harry and Meghan's title controversy continues. Archie and Lilibet became Prince and Princess after the Queen's death. Royal family news continues to cover this story.

What Harry would also have been fully aware, and almost definitely in favour of, is that the late Queen made a huge change to the rules of succession, changing it from male primogeniture to just primogeniture, so that male heirs to the throne no longer take precedence over females as was previously the case.

In order to avoid an anomaly that may have occurred had William's firstborn been a girl, she also issued further Letters Patent in 2012, which effectively extended royal titles to ALL the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. If this hadn't been done, then a firstborn girl would have been secure in her position as future Queen, but would not have had an immediate royal title, while a younger brother would have.

I cannot imagine that Meghan wasn't also fully aware of these rules, and if she wasn't she certainly should have been, but she chose to twist the facts during the Oprah interview and implied that Archie's lack of a royal title was due to racism, and not the rules. She would have known that her own children would get their titles as soon as they were entitled to them, ie, when they became the grandchildren of the Sovereign as her father-in-law became King.

The son of Future King William is now called His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales.

Both Charlotte and little Louis are known as HRH Prince or Princess of Wales. This is because their Father has taken the title of Prince of Wales, which is customary for the heir apparent.

If we look at Harry's children, they are currently in hiding, known as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. Though technically they are HRH, they do not use this in public since Prince Harry stepped down as a working Royal and disgraced himself. Meghan Markle became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex upon marrying Harry. Whilst King Charles has not used his prerogative as he did with Ex-Prince Andrew to strip his titles, he did not strip Harry and his family of HRH, other than demanding they not use it in public; this is short of stripping them of HRH.

In reality, there is huge confusion about Harry's children, whilst Prince George, Charlotte, and Louis are clearly seen growing up to be fine young Royals.

As for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

They are as bona fide Royals as the hair on Harry's head in this picture and a King that has never looked so substantial.

The Truth Sayer could only say, if it was only so.

King Charles now lives in a delusion which he wishes us all to share. He lives with sunlight to his left and darkness to his right; some say the benefits of a long and continuing bad decision.

To his left, he has a perfect family with William and Catherine and the next generation that will be King.

To the right, he has darkness, lies, and deceit, two children born of lies, deception, and trickery. Even worse as many will say Harry was the Cookoo in the nest born of pain and suffering by his mother, Diana. A Karma brought home to Charles for the deeds done to her.

Whilst there is perfection awaiting in the wings, King Charles now lives in a Kingdom ruled by a broken man with sunlight to his left and gloom, doom, lies, and duplicity in a withering hand.

The Legal Reality: No 'Decision' Was Made

There was no 'decision'. The law states that the children and grandchildren of the monarch are automatically Prince or Princess. Different rules apply to those in direct line of succession, such Prince William's children, who become Prince or Princess as soon as they were born. At the time Harry and Meghan's children were born, they were neither children nor grandchildren of the monarch so were not, at that point, entitled, as both Harry and Meghan knew. As soon as the late Queen died, their children became grandchildren of the monarch and eligible to be Prince and Princess. H and M pounced on the titles immediately despite the fact that they would be useless to them and they had previously insisted they did not want them to have them.

It was NOT a decision to grant Royal titles to Prince William's children, it was legal compliance with the Letters Patent of King George V from 1917, And new Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth II issued in 2012 decreeing that all children of the Prince of Wales, the eldest son and the heir apparent would be styled as Prince or Princess this ensured that Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis received their titles upon birth.

Because Prince Harry was only the second son his children did not received their titles until Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September 2022 and they became grandchildren of the Monarch.

The 2012 Decision That Changed Everything

The late Queen made this decision in 2012. I would imagine she thought it could create an avoidable situation if the eldest child had royal status and a princely title but their siblings didn't.

This wasn't extended to any future children that Harry might have, but they would be cousins, not siblings. If you observe that Harry has six cousins on his father's side and only two of them have HRH status it's perfectly normal for the children of the direct heirs to be treated differently. It doesn't mean they are loved and cherished by the family any less. If you look at how popular Zara Tindall is, I don't think they are less loved by the people either.

Frequently Asked Questions About Royal Titles

Did Prince William's children receive royal titles at birth?
Yes. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were all titled from birth due to the Letters Patent of 1917 and 2012.

Why didn't Archie and Lilibet have royal titles at birth?
Because they were not children or grandchildren of the monarch at the time of their birth. They only became Prince and Princess when Queen Elizabeth II died and Charles became King.

Did Harry and Meghan know about the rules?
Yes. Both Harry and Meghan would have been fully aware of the Letters Patent and how titles are passed down.

Is Meghan's Oprah interview accurate?
No. She implied Archie was denied a title due to racism, but the reality is the law simply did not grant him a title at birth.

What is the difference between Prince George and Prince Archie's titles?
Prince George is directly in line to the throne as the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. Archie is the son of the second son and only became a Prince when his grandfather became King.

Royal family news. Entertainment news.

Sources: Letters Patent of King George V 1917, Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth II 2012, Royal Family official statements, Buckingham Palace.