Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s kids will not be able to use the title of prince and princess.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are currently using titles that won’t apply to Prince Harry and Markle’s future children. According to Good Housekeeping, if the younger Duke and the “Suits” actress will be blessed with children and they named their little ones Andrew and Alice, they will be called Lord Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lady Alice Mountbatten-Windsor, not Prince Andrew and Princess Alice.
This is reportedly due to the Letters Patent that was issued by King George V in 1917. The decree stated, “The grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms.”
This is why Prince George has the title, while the rest of the royal children, including his future cousins from Prince Harry, will not be able to use it. Queen Elizabeth II only stepped in to give Princess Charlotte and her future siblings the same title afforded to Prince George. That’s why Prince William and Middleton’s children are called prince and princess. Meanwhile, the children born by daughters like Prince Anne’s kids Peter and Zara Phillips would not get any title at all.
But when Prince Charles takes over the throne from the reigning monarch, Prince Harry’s kids would become princes and princesses too as the grandchildren of the new sovereign. Prince Charles can also issue new Letters Patent for his future grandchildren if he wishes to do so.
In related news, the royal family’s surname was selected by Queen Elizabeth II herself. The family name is taken from Prince Philip’s surname, Mountbatten, and hyphenated with the monarch’s Windsor. Thus, the members of the royal family have the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
Majority of British royals do not use this surname as they are not required to do so. On their official website, it stated that a “proclamation on the Royal Family name […] does not pass into the law of the land.”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Markle will be tying the knot at St. George Chapel in Windsor on May 19. According to an insider, the “Dater’s Handbook” actress may break another royal protocol on her big day by giving a speech. On the same day, Markle will be gifted with the title of Duchess, and she reportedly wanted to take it as an opportunity to thank Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, her family and friends.
(Excerpt) Read More in: International Business Times