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Good day royal watchers! I hope you're all well as we dive into the latest royal news. As always, thank you for your continued support of this channel - I truly appreciate each and every one of my subscribers. Now, let's get into today's top story.
This past week brought an announcement regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. Along with news of her christening ceremony in Montecito, California, the couple's spokesperson referred to Lilibet by the title "princess." This seemed to indicate that Harry and Meghan plan to use the prince and princess titles for their children - Lilibet and three-year-old son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor - in formal settings.
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On Thursday, Buckingham Palace swiftly updated its website to reflect these changes. The site now lists "Prince Archie of Sussex" and "Princess Lilibet of Sussex" as the sixth and seventh in line to the throne, respectively. A spokesperson for the Sussexes clarified that the children's titles have been theirs as a birthright since Harry's grandfather became monarch. They stated this matter was settled in alignment with the Palace.
The titles stem from a 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V. This legal order stipulates that all grandchildren of the monarch - through the male line - are entitled to be called prince or princess and use the prefix HRH. Therefore, upon Queen Elizabeth II's death last month, Archie and Lilibet automatically received these titles.
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However, there was confusion over whether they would use the titles or if King Charles III may change protocol now that he has succeeded his mother. At the time, the Palace declined specifics and sources close to Charles hinted titles could be reconsidered based on Harry's upcoming memoirs and Netflix project. Some even speculated the titles may be revoked due to Harry and Meghan's critical statements about the Royal Family.
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Interestingly, an agreement between Charles and Harry regarding the titles was actually made prior to 2023, before Harry's book was published. According to Palace insiders, Buckingham Palace had not updated the website until now as the Sussexes had not publicly used Lilibet's title until the christening announcement.
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While Archie and Lilibet technically hold prince and princess titles, they do not have the status of HRH. As the Queen previously removed this distinction for Harry and Meghan when they stepped back as senior royals, it does not pass to their children through their father at this time.
So in summary - despite earlier doubts - it seems the children's birthright titles are secure according to the current Letters Patent. However, their HRH styles remain revoked for now. King Charles' decision to recognize Archie and Lilibet's titles also predates any criticisms from the Sussexes' projects.
So what do you all make of these recent developments? On the one hand, honoring the great-grandchildren's birthrights granted by George V's letters seems a reasonable family compromise. However, cynical observers may see the Sussexes strategically choosing to publicly use Lilibet's title now for optics and branding. Their supporters counter that the couple simply wants their children to have what they're entitled to as royals.
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As with many royal-related matters, reasonable people can disagree on motivations. It will be intriguing to see if Archie and Lilibet's styles evolve over time, just as was recently done for the Cambridge children. Only the future will tell how King Charles ultimately handles protocol for the minor Sussex royals. For now, their titles are settled but HRH status remains up in the air.
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Thank you as always for joining me to discuss the latest news from across the pond. Please share your thoughts on these developments in the comments below. I look forward to chatting with you again soon for more royal revelations and discussions. Cheers!
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