Why is Archie, the newest member of the British royal family, untitled? here our hypothesis
He is not a prince, nor a lord, nor a duke, nor an earl.
It's Master Archie.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex - more commonly known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - defied the bookies' odds when they chose a name for their firstborn that is not steeped in tradition and doesn't carry a great title.
This raises some questions: why did they do it, is it just because he's half American? Who decides these things?
The questions are who gets a royal title, what that title is, when it gets it, and why it is steeped in the tradition of generations.
Harry and his brother, William, are princes, but their wives are duchesses, not princesses. His parents are Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, but Charles's second wife is the Duchess of Cornwall. Some of Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren are princes and princesses; others don't.
Confused? That's not surprising, says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
“It is a maze. It really is a minefield, but it has tremendous significance. "
So, let's explain it:
Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Despite being the great-grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, Archie was never guaranteed to be born a prince.
In 1917, King George V decided to limit the number of royal highnesses within the family and decreed that only the monarch's sons, and the monarch's grandsons in the male line, would receive that title.
This means that the four children of the queen are known as princes and princesses, but only the children of the monarch can pass that title on to their grandchildren.
Under the rules of George V, the eldest grandson of the Prince of Wales - that is, Prince Charles, the eldest son of the queen - would also become a royal highness. But that honor would not be passed on to any of the monarch's other great-grandchildren.
But it's not that simple.
To alter this, the queen issued a "card patent" in 2012 so that Prince William and her wife, Catherine - aka the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - could name all their children princes or princesses. This means that her three children are Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But she hasn't done that for baby Archie; therefore, he is not a prince.
Harry and Markle made the decision to refer to Archie as "teacher", which is simply an archaic way (in most circles) of addressing a child who is not yet a "lord".
If they had wanted to give their son a title, Prince Harry and Meghan, his Los Angeles-born wife, they could have opted for the Earl of Dumbarton. (Don't ask why.) But they rejected that title. Instead, they gave their son the name Archie, who has no ties to any other real character, although he has been immortalized in a long series of American comics.
He will use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which was formalized in the royal family 13 years after Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip. Until then, the royal family was only known as Windsor. The change was considered a nod to Felipe's side of the family. "Mountbatten-Windsor is used by the smallest members of the family, those closest to the queen, but not royal highness," said Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine.
Given George V's decree, when Prince Charles becomes king, "all his grandchildren become princes and princesses," Little said. So at that time, Archie will have the right to become a prince. It was reported last Thursday that Harry and Meghan agree with that - they just wanted to keep things less complicated for their newborn for now.
Princess Diana and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Contrary to popular belief, Prince Charles's first wife was never officially named Princess Diana. Her official title was Princess of Wales. During their 15 years of marriage, she also held the title of her majesty.
When Carlos takes the throne, Camila will officially become queen. But when the couple married, her media team said that she "intended to use" the title of princess consort instead. It remains to be seen if that decision holds up after 14 years of marriage.
"There has been a lot of controversy about the marriage, clearly," Little said. "She should be Queen Camila, she would have the same status as her husband."
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
By marrying a prince, Markle became Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex, but not a princess.
Also, upon marrying Prince William, Catherine Middleton - like Markle, a commoner, albeit British - became Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge. However, when her children's birth certificates were issued, Catherine's occupation was written as "princess of the United Kingdom", so by default she is a princess even if she is not a princess by name.
It is not yet clear whether Markle will receive similar treatment.
Both William and Harry also have other titles. William is the Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, (we're not making this up), and Harry is also the Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.
I'm sorry, but a wedding - no matter how close to royalty you may be - won't create 'Princess Meghan'.
The two wives cannot be known as Princess Catherine and Princess Meghan because they do not have royal blood, so they are not princesses in their own right.
The other children of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had four children, three boys and one woman. In order of birth, they are Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
Under George V rules, Princess Anne's children could not use the title of "royal highness", but it is believed that the queen offered them a courtesy title at birth, which was rejected. Therefore, they are simply called Peter and Zara Phillips, (Zara was quoted in the London Times as saying that she felt "very lucky" that her parents decided not to give their children titles).
The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, also decided to break with tradition and decline the opportunity to give his children the title of prince and princess. Upon marrying his wife, Sophie, they adopted the title of Earl and Countess of Wessex, rather than the more prestigious Dukes and Duchesses. They also chose to give their children the more modest titles of Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
The queen's second son, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, clung to tradition. His two daughters are known as the princesses Beatriz and Eugenia de York.
