Prince Charles is determined not to let Archie become a prince
Lilibet Diana and Archie Harrison, the children of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, do not yet hold titles of nobility, but they are expected to become princess and prince when their grandfather takes the throne. Except that the latter has apparently decided otherwise.
They announced the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana on Sunday June 6. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have welcomed their second child, two years after the arrival of their son Archie Harrison. Unlike their parents, siblings do not currently carry any title of nobility. They should however become princess and prince after the coronation of Prince Charles, but as revealed by The Mail On Sunday on June 19, the latter would like to oppose it.
According to the British press, the heir to the throne has been clear on this point: Archie will not have his place among the members of the royal family. A decision which should also apply to his little sister Lilibet, because Prince Charles would like to lighten the monarchy after his accession to the throne. Concerned about the expense that this entails for the British, the Prince of Wales would indeed like to limit the number of main members of the royal family. According to a source close to the Sussexes, he would have warned Harry and Meghan of his intention to modify the legal documents, thus preventing Archie from obtaining the title of prince which he would have inherited by right.
The rule of origin
According to the rule established by King George V in 1917, the Queen's great-grandchildren cannot inherit the title of Prince or Princess at birth, except for the children of the Prince of Wales' eldest son. Thus, George, the son of Prince William, became a prince. Elizabeth II subsequently allowed herself to bend the rule. She decided to bestow the titles of prince and princess to Charlotte and Louis, George's sister and brother.
Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana did not enjoy such an exception, but as the king's grandchildren they are expected to become prince and princess when Prince Charles takes the throne. "As the grandchildren of a sovereign, they will have the right to be brought up to this rank (...), explains Joe Little, the editor-in-chief of Majesty, the British monthly dedicated to royalty. The question is whether Meghan and Harry will want this. " Princess Anne, for example, had not wished to give titles to her children (the queen's grandchildren). Prince Edward neither. But if Prince Charles gets his plan through, the Sussexes may not have to choose at all.
Pandora's box
It is this position taken by the heir to the throne which would be at the origin of the public accusations brought by the Sussexes against Charles and the royal family on the set of Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan had notably said that several conversations regarding Archie's skin color had taken place in the corridors of Buckingham Palace before his birth.
