Does Meghan Markle Get a New Title After the Death of Queen Elizabeth?

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many members of the royal family are getting new titles. Prince Charles has become King Charles III, while his wife, Camilla, is now the Queen Consort. Prince William and Kate Middleton are now the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, with a possibility of becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales later on. Even three-year-old Archie and one-year-old Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, have become a prince and princess with the ascension of their grandfather to the throne.

As for Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unlikely to get any new additions to their titles.

The couple stepped back as senior members of the royal family in early 2020. Though they still retain their duke and duchess title, Harry and Meghan no longer use their HRH designations.

Although the two probably won't experience a title change, their kids are now technically a prince and princess.

Traditionally, the change in title is an automatic right with the ascension of a new monarch. In 1917, King George V had established protocols that granted the children and grandchildren of a sovereign to be automatically entitled to the title His Royal Highness and prince or princess. (At the time of their births, Archie and Lilibet were the great-grandchildren of a sovereign and therefore had no royal titles.)

However, it's still possible that King Charles may revoke the newfound titles from his grandchildren.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Meghan had said that the royal family discussed changing the rules in order to keep Archie from acquiring the princely title. She additionally said that, while she was pregnant with Archie, the family decided to not grant him the HRH and prince title, connecting their decision to concerns over "how dark" the baby's skin would be.

It's also a possibility that Harry and Meghan may opt out of granting the new titles to Archie and Lilibet. Other royals, like Princess Anne and Prince Edward, have previously decided to not give titles to their own children.

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