Why is Harry and Meghan’s son not a prince?

One of the most dramatic claims in Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was the allegation that their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, seventh in line to the British throne, was denied a royal title, possibly because of his skin colour. On the other hand, Prince William’s children are Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Speaking to Oprah, Meghan had said that while she was pregnant “they” — presumably the palace — “were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince, which would be different from protocol.”

She implied it might be a case of “the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.”

Was Archie snubbed?

According to AP News, Queen Elizabeth II has nine great-grandchildren, including Archie. They are not princes and princesses, apart from the three children of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne and destined to be king one day.

A decree issued by King George V in 1917 limits the titles of prince and princess to the children of the monarch, children of the monarch’s sons and “the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales” — that’s William’s son Prince George. As per historians, the rule was drawn up to trim the increasingly unwieldy number of princely titles.

“Queen Victoria had nine children who were all princes and princesses, and then they had children and so forth, and George V took the view … that something needed to be done to tidy up the situation,” said Bob Morris from the Constitution Unit at University College London.

The queen has the power to amend the rules, and in 2012 she decreed that all the children of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, not just the eldest, would be princes and princesses.

Under the George V convention, Archie is not a prince, but will become one as the grandchild of a monarch once current heir to the throne Prince Charles is king.

In her interview, Meghan said she was told that “they want to change the convention for Archie.”

It is unclear what she was referring to, but Morris said Prince Charles has let it be known “that he favours a smaller royal family” when he takes the throne.

Archie was eligible for a “courtesy title” at birth, such as Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. At the time, it was reported that Harry and Meghan had chosen not to give him a title.

But Meghan told Winfrey that “it was not our decision to make.”

Meghan also said that without a title, Archie “wasn’t going to receive security.” However, a royal title such as prince or princess does not automatically bring security protection. Full-time working royals — including Meghan and Harry before they moved to North America last year — receive taxpayer-funded police bodyguards. Senior royals who have jobs outside the family, such as Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, do not.

While Buckingham Palace has not responded to specific allegations in the interview, in a statement, it said “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Meanwhile, Prince William has defended the British royal family saying: “We’re very much not a racist family.”

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