A recent survey of Americans shows that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want their children Archie and Lilibet to have royal names.
According to a Redfield & Wilton poll for Newsweek, 53% of Americans concur that the children should have their HRH Prince and HRH Princess names, while 15% disagree. Meanwhile, 18% are unconcerned, and 14% are unsure.
Archie and Lilibet’s royal titles sparked controversy among royal experts after the Duchess of Sussex revealed in an Oprah interview in March 2021 that there had been discussions about her children not receiving royal titles, which she referred to as their “birthright,” and linked it to discussions among royal family members over how dark her children’s skin color might be.
In the interview, Meghan Markle said, “It’s not our decision to make, right?  Even though I have a lot of clarity on what comes with the titles, good and bad—and from my experience, a lot of pain. I, again, wouldn’t wish pain on my child, but that is their birthright to then make a choice about.”
The former “Suits” star shared her concern over the lack of security for Archie and at that time for her unborn child, if they do not have their royal titles. She said, “The idea of our son not being safe and also the idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be . . .”
She then referred to the George V convention, which states that the monarch’s grandson immediately gets the HRH Prince or Princess title. This implies that when King Charles III took over as monarch after Queen Elizabeth II died in September, Archie and Lilibet automatically acquired the HRH Prince and HRH Princess titles.
These adjustments, however, were not immediately made public on the royal family’s official website line of succession. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor were still mentioned.
Meanwhile, in his first speech as King Charles III, Prince William, and Kate Middleton were only named Prince and Princess of Wales.
Only after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed Lilibet’s baptism and referred to her as Princess in the statement did Buckingham Palace follow suit and change their titles online. Despite this, the palace made no public statement about the change.
“I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor,” reads the US Today. The representative said, “The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became Monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”