This Is Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Baby Boy Won’t Get a Royal Title
Updated: May 06, 2019
The new baby boy won’t be a prince, but he will get another title.
The title for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal baby boy
The world is buzzing now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby boy was born on May 6, 2019. But even as seventh in line for the British throne, the new baby won’t be a prince, thanks to a hundred-year-old rule.
In 1917, King George V issued a statement that “the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms.” Queen Elizabeth II is the current sovereign, so her children and grandchildren get royal titles. But her great-grandchildren—like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son—would be Lord or Lady Mountbatten-Windsor, rather than a prince or princess, and they don’t get the HRH title of a “royal highness.” (Find out the difference between a princess and a duchess.)
So why are Prince William and Kate Middleton’s kids lucky enough to get those royal titles? Because the Queen said so, of course. (Check out more rules Queen Elizabeth II has broken during her reign.)
As a direct heir to the throne, Prince George would have been a prince no matter what—but Charlotte and Louis wouldn’t have. (Don’t miss the cutest photos of Prince Louis’s first year.) When Kate was pregnant, Queen Elizabeth issued a letter giving the Prince or Princess title to any of William’s children. And that means there’s still hope for Meghan and Harry! If they want to give their kids titles, that is.
Some of the Queen’s grandchildren, such as Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, could have been given royal titles when they were born, but their parents asked the Queen not to so that they could live more “normal” lives. So if Queen Elizabeth decides not to extend the HRH title, it might not be a bad thing after all.
Next, here’s the real story of how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met.
