As the reverend said at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, “The gift of marriage…is given as the foundation of family life in which children are born and nurtured and in which each member of the family, in good times and in bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love.”
So with children on the brain (the couple hasn’t shied away from expressing their desire to start a family), it begs the question: Will the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s kids get to be called prince or princess?
The simple answer is no. Prince and Princess and His/Her Royal Highness statuses are reserved for children or grandchildren of the Monarch.
Prince George was the exception as his father, Prince William, is in line to be king. The Queen actually issued a new Letters Patent when Princess Charlotte was born to give her the same title as her brother. If she didn’t, Princess Charlotte would instead have been known as Lady Charlotte Mountbatten-Windsor.
And with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcoming their third child in April, Prince Harry has been pushed down to sixth in line to the throne, meaning it’s highly unlikely his offspring could be the Monarch.
It also means that should Prince Charles take over from his mother, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s future kids could eventually become a prince or princess, as their grandfather would be king.
However, their is precedent to turn down the title. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie Countess of Wessex’s children are entitled to prince and princess titles because their father is the son of the Queen, however they decided to shun tradition.
When their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor was born, she was eighth in line to the throne, but her parents decided to give her a lady title instead of princess. Likewise, their son James was named James Alexander Philip Theo and is known as Viscount Severn.
So, what will Prince Harry and Markle’s children’s royal titles be? Well, seeing as the Queen has bestowed Harry with a Dukedom, he and Markle are now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, meaning their children will likely be given lord or lady titles.
But, to know for sure, we’ll just have to wait and see!