The rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lili, as the children of a son of a sovereign, are automatically a prince and a princess. This became the case when King Charles ascended the throne last September.
However, the Sussexes’ decision has raised questions about other members of the family’s titles, namely the Princess Royal’s children, Peter Phillips, 45, and Zara Tindall, 41.
Peter and Zara do not have titles, and this is due to a centuries-old family tradition. Unlike her cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Zara is not a princess – and likewise, Peter is not a prince.
This is because when a member of the royal family has a child, the rules say that only the father may pass on his title, and the only princes and princesses in the family have fathers in the direct line of succession.
Zara and Peter’s father Captain Mark Phillips is not a member of the royal family, and he declined the offer of an earldom, so the children were not given titles from birth.
This is the reason why the late Queen’s two oldest sons, King Charles III and Prince Andrew, have been able to grant their children the titles of prince and princesses, while Princess Anne’s children – despite being in line to the throne – did not inherit royal rankings.
Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2020, Princess Anne reflected upon the decision not to grant her children titles: “I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles…So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”
