Charles of Wales won't let his grandson Archie be prince
Harry and Meghan are furious over what they consider a slight towards their son.
Every day more details are known that leave no doubt how deep the gap is between Harry and Meghan, Dukes of Sussex, and the British royal family. Now, it has been known that the dissonant statements of the dukes, also have their origin in the plans that Prince Charles, Harry's father, has in mind for when he succeeds Queen Elizabeth on the throne.
According to a rule introduced by King George V in 1917, the children and grandchildren of the monarch who is on the throne, as well as the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, who in this case is the prince George, son of Prince William.
Thus, when Charles, Prince of Wales, ascended to the throne, Archie, Harry's eldest son, would deserve that distinction, with which would come privileges such as an allocation of the crown budget and security by the state.
However, for years there has been talk about the intention of the future King Carlos to minimize the size of the royal family, convinced that the subjects are not willing to pay for the support of an overcrowded monarchy.
In this way, the royal family would be officially composed only of the sovereign, the direct heirs to the throne and their immediate relatives. According to a recent report in the Daily Mail, Carlos is willing to change the 1917 regulations and made it known to the Sussexes.
"Harry and Meghan were notified that Archie will never be a prince, even when Charles is crowned king," a source related to the couple told the newspaper. Other insiders assured the publication that this left the Sussexes in one piece, as they had made other predictions.
As it is recalled, when Archie was born, his decision that the child not carry any title of nobility was given much attention in the media. He is technically entitled to use the title of Earl of Dumbarton, which is a subsidiary of his father's Duchy of Sussex. Thus, his name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Of course, Harry and Meghan were confident that as soon as Carlos became king, Archie would become prince. They even ordered his spokeswoman to remind journalists of that. The tabloid also claims that the Sussexes learned of Carlos's plans not to give Archie the title of prince days before his inflammatory interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.
Apparently, Harry had a heated debate with his father about it and it is also believed that that was one of the triggers for his statements in that program were so devastating. The royal public has not yet forgotten how they claimed that a member of the royal family questioned them about Archie's skin color when he was yet to be born, in a clear act of racism.
For many, another statement now makes sense that at that time sounded absurd and was interpreted as a lack of knowledge of the rules that govern the royal family. "They (the royal family) said they didn't want him or her to be a prince," Meghan noted, recalling the days leading up to the delivery. This was interpreted as another complaint of racism by the duchess, but observers now believe that she was affected by the announcement made by her father-in-law.
Lilibet, the daughter that the Sussexes just received, would not deserve the title of princess either. The royal chronicle has registered that Carlos has a scuffle with his brother Andrés for this same matter. The latter has not only claimed greater relevance for his daughters, the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, in the royal agenda, but also protection for them by the state security agencies.
In addition, in the royal family there have already been several cases of members who are not princes although they would have the right to do so.
Such is the case of the children of Princess Anne, the queen's only daughter. When she married Captain Mark Phillips, he did not want the queen to give him a noble title, nor for her children, Peter and Zara, to be made princes or with lesser titles.
Edward, Earl of Wessex, the Queen's youngest son, knows that his children have the right to be princes, but he has preferred not. Thus, his daughter is known only as Lady Louise Windsor, while her son uses the title of Viscount Severn, a subsidiary of her county. It is believed to be an act of prudence on his part, as he knows that the public has become sensitive to the size of the monarchy.
In the order of precedence of royalty and nobility, the title of prince immediately follows that of king. They are followed by those of duke, count, viscount, marquis and baron.
