The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted a wave of sadness around the world. Nowhere more so than in the United Kingdom. As the nation reels from the news and comes to terms with the end of her era, commentators are reflecting upon the changes that will take place in the coming days.
One of these will be a shuffling in the titles of the Royal Family. Obviously, Prince Charles now becomes King Charles. His wife, Camilla, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, becomes Queen Consort.
His eldest son, Prince William, now takes on the titles of both Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall (inheriting the latter from his father). William will eventually, at a later date, become the Prince of Wales. At the same time, his wife, Catherine, will become Princess of Wales, like the late Diana.
There has been some speculation already as to where this leaves the kids of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.
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Royal experts previously said that as the great-grandchildren of the late Queen, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor were too far down the line of succession to be automatically granted the titles of “Prince” and “Princess.”
Related: Harry and Meghan fox the British media and make flying visit to see Queen
Meghan previously expressed shock at this decision in her infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. She expressed upset at the “idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be”.
William’s kids do have titles, but that’s because they are the children of the future king.
Now, with the passing of the Queen, Charles becomes king. Harry and Meghan’s kids are therefore the grandchildren of the monarch, not the great-grandchildren.
According to rules set out by King George V in 1917, this means they are technically entitled to an HRH title.
Harry and Meghan famously stepped back from their royal duties and relocated to the US, so what bearing this has on their kids’ titles remains to be announced. The couple may not even want their kids to have royal titles.
Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II died “peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland yesterday. She was 96 years old.
Harry and Meghan happened to be in the UK when news of the Queen’s failing health was announced. Harry made a dash to Balmoral to be with other close members of her family, but it’s reported he and William arrived too late to see the Queen before she died. Prince Charles and Princess Anne were at the Queen’s bedside when she passed.
Related: Camilla allegedly said WHAT about Harry and Meghan’s baby?
The Queen’s death has prompted tributes from around the globe. In the US, President Biden issued a statement. It said, “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.
“In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her.”
He has told reporters he will “probably” attend her funeral, which will probably take place in 10 or 11 days.
Yesterday, several US landmarks were illuminated in her honor. This included the Empire State Building (in silver and purple), and Atlanta City Hall. A large digital billboard in Times Square featured a prominent image of the Queen.
Elton John pays tribute
Many celebrities have paid tribute, including Elton John, who lives near the Queen’s main residence in recent years, Windsor Castle. Performing in Toronto last night, the gay superstar said, “She was an inspiring presence to be around… she was fantastic.
“She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace and decency and a genuine caring warmth.”
“I’m 75 and she’s been with me all my life and I feel very sad that she won’t be with me anymore, but I’m glad she’s at peace, and I’m glad she’s at rest and she deserves it.”
“She worked bloody hard. I send my love to her family. She’ll be missed… but we’ll celebrate her life tonight with you, OK?”
He then performed a version of his 1974 hit, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” Projections of the Queen illuminated the screens beside him.
Elton John pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth on her passing Toronto 2022 #EltonJohn #QueenElizabethII #Toronto pic.twitter.com/pe91kRr8nh
— Shawn Maclean (@Rincon650Shawn) September 9, 2022
MrGoldman
Meghan needs to decide if she is in or out of the monarchy. It seems to me they have decided to become private citizens so they can call themselves whatever they want.
Mack
As a private citizen you can call yourself whatever you want, doesn’t mean that you are. There are a lot of people who uses royal names, but they’re not royal-only in their heads.
BigJohnSF
It’s not clear that the monarchy is large enough to embrace her narcissism.
GlobeTrotter
“She expressed upset at the ‘idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be’.”
This was just one of the many damaging statements made by Meghan Markle, purposefully calculated by her to bring the name of the monarchy into disrepute. The rules state that ONLY children or grandchildren of the reigning monarch are granted royal titles, unless they’re in direct line of succession. By making such a statement Meghan Markle intended to give the impression that her children weren’t awarded royal titles because they are “black”, when of course nothing was more further from the truth. What a disaster it was making her a part of the royal family! She’s done nothing but try to destroy that institution at every possible opportunity. Even if that was an innocent comment on her part, she should have done a bit of research before marrying Prince Harry. The rules are so easily accessible, anyone can google them.
DannyParks
Well said. 100% agree.
stonercharles
AMEN It’s called Google!!!! deliberate ignorance I think not… calculated choice of words yes!
still_onthemark
They’ve moved up in the line of succession, so probably the answer is YES. George V’s rule, during WWI, was because his grandma Victoria had 8 kids and by 1917 there were way too many princes/princesses (and a lot of them were German and considered traitors or actually charged with treason).
“The couple may not even want their kids to have royal titles.” But they’ve sure complained about it. A rule Harry must have grown up knowing about?
Fahd
King Charles III just said in his first speech as king that he wanted to express his love for Harry & Meghan as they build their lives overseas. He didn’t refer to any titles in their regard. This, just after he had just mentioned all of Prince William and Princess Katherines new titles. If I were going to engage in the kind of speculation that this article does, I’d say “don’t hold your breath” on any new titles for the “overseas” family.
But we’ll know real soon anyway, and it’s the first day of mourning, and already Meghan’s the headline? Gross.
MikeM
Unless Charles signs letters patent to take that away, which would be petty, then Archie and Lilibet are prince and Princess automatically. It’s not a matter of debate.
still_onthemark
Thank you! Yeah, I thought that’s how it goes. I wondered why the author (who I think is British) didn’t seem to know that.
As grandchildren of a current monarch, NOW they get the title. That’s it. Pretty simple.
still_onthemark
“Prince Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lillibet now a prince and princess, as a number of royal titles change” – Haley Ott, CBS News, 9 Sept 2022
bachy
The British media claim to love their queen, but obsess about Meghan to the point of elbowing the queen out of the public spotlight. QEII celebrated 70 years on the throne this year, yet it was all about “evil mastermind” Meghan. Even in the queen’s death the f*cking ghouls still found a way to overshadow their beloved monarch’s legacy by serving up a Meghan hatefest. Lynch mobs adore a scapegoat, a modern witch-burning, and virulently hate-posting about Meghan has become Britain’s premiere sport. Needless to say, all the tabloid ratings and interactions skyrocket when they cover Meghan “Maleficent.”
Jay002
Why is everything Meghans fault? Harry wanted to expose his family before he met Meghan due to the way his mother was treated. I think people need to stop making Meghan as the destroyer of the Royal British family. If Harry is strong enough to fly military planes he is strong enough to stand up to his wife.
MikeM
Absolutely
GlobeTrotter
“Harry wanted to expose his family before he met Meghan due to the way his mother was treated.”
And how exactly was his mother treated? People need to thoroughly research and vet a family BEFORE they marry into it. The royal family is outdated, out of touch and has its silly rules, but that’s who they are! They know it, everybody knows it, and that’s the way it’s been for hundreds of years. The British people seem to be perfectly fine with this arrangement. You can’t marry into a centuries old family and then decide YOU are going to change it! Either you accept the rules before you marry into the family, or you don’t marry into it at all.
Diana was nice and all, and I blubbered like a child when she died, just like everyone else. But now as a grown ass man, I can now more easily recognize her manipulative schemes, not that that makes her a bad person. There’s nothing wrong with having big ambitions and wanting to be queen. Diana wanted to be Queen from the day she was born, and made sure to marry Prince Charles in order to further those goals (just like Meghan Markle). But by doing so, she violated the golden rule: there can be only one reigning Queen Bitch at a time, and Queen Elizabeth wasn’t going to allow herself to be upstaged by a young and ambitious country girl, no matter how beautiful she was. Diana was not willing to accept this, nor was she willing to walk two steps behind Charles and four steps behind his mother the Queen.
She didn’t deserve to die, but it would be a mistake to believe Diana would ever have been happy playing second fiddle to Charles as Queen. She wanted nothing less than to rule the world, and she used her beauty, her fame and her doe-eyes to achieve her goals. How ironic that Meghan Markle, Diana’s incarnation in the flesh, is doing exactly the same to Harry that Diana did to his father Charles? I can’t wait for when Meghan has no more use for Harry and then divorces him – it promises to be SPECTACULAR!
missvamp
from the way everything was portrayed, the queen was the hater. she treated diana & meghan poorly. she made charles marry diana instead of camilla. now that she’s gone, everyone can live the lives they want. charles can do as he pleases, now that he’s the king. i think he will assign the proper titles & life will just go on as it should.
Tad
They will not receive the title of prince and princess. Do your homework. That’s not how this works. Lord and Lady would be the highest title those kids can use. Charle’s ascension into his rightful role doesn’t change the line of monarchy at all. William Kate’s kids are ones who might get titles a some point, but not Harry and what’s her face.
MikeM
As grandchildren of the monarch in the male line, they are entitled to be titled prince and princess with “HRH” as well. Just like Beatrice and Eugenie. Prince Edward’s children could be styled as such if they so choose, but their parents wanted them to have a “normal” life.
Kangol2
@Tad, since Harry’s father is now King Charles III, Harry’s and Meghan’s children are now titled Prince and Princess, in addition to whatever subsidiary titles they get as the children of a Duke.
“Archie and Lillibet, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have become a prince and princess after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. When they were born, the two children were too far down the line of succession to be given those titles under rules set out by King George V in 1917.” – Haley Ott, September 9, 2022, CBS News.
Joshooeerr
Since Charles and Harry are, by all reports, now hardly even on speaking terms, it’s unlikely Charles will do them any favours. And for all the ill-informed pronouncements on here about what titles Harry’s kids might automatically be heir to, it’s worth remembering that there are multiple exceptions and get-out clauses to almost every convoluted rule of succession. The whole thing is – surprise, surprise – totally f***ed up. But in short, Harry and Meghan have chosen to distance themselves from the family by living abroad and not undertaking the expected (bulllshit) royal duties. They do not receive the same financial support any more. And their kids will be raised a long way from the circle of influence of Charles’ court. There’s zero reason to believe they should be treated the same as if they were the children of any other son or daughter of a monarch. Zero.
still_onthemark
@!Joshooeerr: The problem was that Meghan was complaining about her children NOT being called Prince and Princess. She attributed it to racism when it was the 1917 rule. (I’m not saying there was NO racism, there probably was in the family and there definitely is in the tabloids!) Harry didn’t correct her though he must have known better.
At any rate, now they CAN call themselves HRH and Prince and Princess, if they want to.
inbama
Charles, Harry and their unruly wives all brought disgrace to the royal family, so who the hell knows.
If Charles really wanted to give the U.K. a boost, he should have declined the kingship and given the whole thing a needed reboot with young King William.
gothvixen
Thank you for not being a Diana idolator. She cheated 1st, in 1985, and when Charles found out he went back to the only one he would ever love, and is still with her. Diana had 10 acknowledged lovers between then and her death. Nobody will ever know the true number. She was so manipulative yet the worshippers fell for it all. I accept she did amazing charity work, especially for AIDS patients, but she was never the wronged innocent. She knew Charles loved Camilla, saw the bracelet, but decided to go through with it the night before because she wanted the fame she worked so hard to keep. Half Man JHalf Biscuit said, “James Dean was just a careless driver and Marilyn Monroe was just a slag.” Diana was a manipulative one.
Georgeiv2
As an Englishman I was confused the day before her death Diana was being vilified by the press for ignoring her children and holidaying with her current boyfriend Then the accident happened and overnight she became Saint Diana I always remember the quote about Diana ” The more you knew her the less you liked her ” As for That Markel Woman she chose ” the quite life of California or where ever it is she is now ” let her live with it and that poor mutt of a husband and her children will just have to put up with it too I hope he thinks its worth It ! we are well rid of them !
ScottOnEarth
Meghan is in it for the notoriety and to cash-in. She snagged Harry, the runt of the litter, and then sought to denigrate the Royal Family, all for personal gain. I have no respect for, or interest in, her or Harry…or their children’s titles.
johncp56
Who cares Monarkies are insane to follow anymore let the ensist bloodlines end, LOL King Charles 111 what a joke,
Jimmynj
Meghan is just trash. She takes every situation and makes herself look like the victim. She and Harry chose to walk away, so no title for the kids, they should have their title revoked and no assistance from the royal family. Maybe she can go “act” in another subpar television series to supplement their income.