Archie & Lilibet's Titles Would "Come With a Caveat," Expert Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Daughter Lilibet's first birthday portrait sitting in grass smiling in blue dress

published 10 October 2022

So, will Archie and Lilibet get "prince" and "princess" titles, or...?

As you may know, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children have technically been entitled to these new designations since their great-grandmother the Queen died and their grandfather became the monarch.

With that said, they are still listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor in the official line of succession. As rumors would have it, this is because King Charles III is waiting for the Sussexes' various media projects to be released before he decides on whether he lets his grandchildren use their new titles.

Now, royal author Katie Nicholl has suggested that it's still possible Charles will bestow these titles on Archie and Lili. "But if that did happen, it is going to come with a caveat," Nicholl said on the Palace Confidential podcast (via Express).

"He is going to insist that Harry and Meghan are respectful of the institution if they are taking the titles of the institution.

"That is very important to him."

Though Nicholl didn't detail what that "respect" would look like in practice, we can assume she means the Sussexes shouldn't reveal further details that might harm the Royal Family's reputation.

"Titles matter to Charles," Nicholl said.

On the other hand, she also explained that experts she interviewed foresaw "this pattern of the British monarchy moving into a sort of European-style royalty."

If you look at what's currently happening with the Danish Royal Family, the equivalent people to Archie and Lili in that line of succession have just seen their own prince and princess titles removed by Queen Margrethe, so it's possible Charles has a similar model in mind.

"And if that is the case, then possibly [Archie and Lili are] not going to get these titles," Nicholl said.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.