King Charles Waiting for Harry's Memoir to Choose Archie & Lili Titles

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in Windsor, England. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth at 05:26 on Monday 06 May, 2019

(Image credit: Photo by WPA Pool / Getty)

published 22 September 2022

Soooo. Since King Charles III acceded the throne, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor have technically been entitled to add "prince" and "princess" to the front of their names, which would mean they could match their cousins George, Charlotte and Louis of Wales.

The HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) designation, however, isn't automatic for them, and it's more than likely they won't be granted it—which their parents are reportedly not very happy about.

Despite the children's entitlement to the "prince" and "princess" designations, they are still listed as "Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor" and "Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor" respectively in the royal line of succession.

Ultimately, the decision of whether Archie and Lili get to use their princely titles falls to King Charles, their grandfather, who is apparently undecided as it stands—and it all rests on what happens with the Sussexes' big media projects, and how damaging they turn out to be for the Royal Family at large.

"It depends a lot on what happens in the coming months, particularly with Harry’s book and their TV show," a source close to the monarch told Vanity Fair.

These projects refer to a) Prince Harry's upcoming memoir, which in the latest news, has been postponed to 2023, after already having been delayed a number of times in the past; and b) the Netflix docuseries the couple is allegedly producing, which would give us an exclusive behind the scenes glimpse into their Southern Californian life. The latter has still not been officially announced, though at this point it's sort of common knowledge that it's probably happening. (I'm starting to seriously doubt the book will ever come out, though..... But that's just speculation.)

Both projects are, for obvious reasons, not causing a ton of joy among the rest of the Royal Family, who are worried about what could be revealed.

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.