With their grandfather
becoming monarch, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s two children
have royal titles.
Upon the death of Queen
Elizabeth on Friday, Harry’s father became King Charles III —
and as grandchildren of the monarch, 3-year-old Archie Harrison and
1-year-old Lilibet Diana have inherited the titles of prince and
princess.
The children did not receive
the titles when they were born because they were great-grandchildren of the
monarch.
The rule was established by
King George V after he issued a Letters Patent in 1917 that read: “…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.”
As monarch, King Charles III
can change that rule, but it’s unlikely he’ll choose to do so.
A source previously told
PEOPLE: “Archie will almost certainly become a prince one day. Charles
isn’t going to disavow his grandson, so it’s hugely unlikely that he’ll change
the rules to stop it from happening. The Charles also isn’t going to say that Archie
can’t use the title any time soon.”
