Archie was born without a prince’s title, but there was another royal title he could have used. Here’s why his parents reportedly declined it.
Words: Amy Mica Marsden. Header image: HENK KRUGER/AFP via Getty Images
After six years in the United States, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have returned to the UK, leaving their $15 million California mansion behind.
The move came just in time for the start of a new school year, meaning the family scrambled to place their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, into appropriate schools.
The children were not born prince and princess due to a naming convention from 1917, whereby only the children and grandchildren of the current monarch, as well as those of the Prince of Wales’ eldest son, have an automatic right to the title.
This is an accordance with the 1917 Letters Patent from King George V, which was later amended by Queen Elizabeth II herself in 2012. The late Queen’s own Letters Patent was issued before the birth of Prince William’s first-born, Prince George, and stated that all of Prince William’s children, as the eldest son and in line to the throne, would carry the titles of prince or princess and HRH.
However, at the time of their birth, Archie and Lilibet’s great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II reigned as monarch, meaning Prince Harry’s children only inherited the titles of prince and princess upon her passing.
But there’s another royal title that, according to The Telegraph, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan could have given their son but instead rejected over fears ‘about how that might look’.
Bullying fears
The Telegraph reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could have gifted their first-born son the title ‘Earl of Dumbarton’, but rejected it, according to ‘multiple sources’.
When the couple married at Windsor Castle in 2018, the late Queen made Harry and Meghan the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and the Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. In line with royal tradition, Archie would have been able to use his father’s secondary title, too, but the worried parents allegedly opted out of it over fear he would be bullied for the word ‘Dumb’ in the name.
A source told The Telegraph, ‘They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word ‘dumb’ [and] they were worried about how that might look,’ while another insider told the newspaper, ‘it wasn’t just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry.’
At his birth, Archie was instead referred to as ‘Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’.
The children allegedly almost didn’t even inherit their HRH titles either, with one source telling The Telegraph that Prince William wants a ‘slimmed-down monarchy’ when he ascends the throne – however, another source claimed that Harry was ‘adamant’ that his children ‘should be raised without titles like his cousins Peter and Zara Philips.’
In their controversial Oprah interview, the Duchess of Sussex spoke on the subject of titles, stating ‘In those months when I was pregnant we have in tandem the conversation of, you won’t be given security, not gonna be given a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.’
However, she insisted she did not care about ‘all the grandeur surrounding this stuff, declaring ‘the most important title I’ll ever have is mom.’
School fears
The Duchess of Sussex shared a slideshow of sweet snaps for Prince Harry’s birthday earlier this month, featuring rare glimpses into their lives and those of their children. The video contained images of the children on bikes, painting, taking photographs, and enjoying stunning views with their parents.
Once term time came, the children bunkered down in their new school to adapt to a new normal in the UK. However, reports soon came in that, just two days into the new school year, the Sussex children were pulled out and placed into another school elsewhere.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who spoke with People about the decision put the move down to ‘security concerns’.
‘The decision for the children to move schools was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements,’ they said.
‘The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family. This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.’
