Harry and Meghan's child will not be a prince, here's why

They may be two of the most prestigious members of the royal family, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s newborn son won’t have a the title of prince.

The Duke and Duchess have welcomed their first child, a baby boy, but he will not be referred to as ‘His or Her Royal Highness (HRH)’, and unlike cousins George, Charlotte and Louis, won’t be called a ‘prince’.

Royal titles for babies explained:

In 1917, George V limited titles within the royal family so prince and princess titles and the HRH status are now only 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 and Prince Louis were born to give them the same title as their older brother.

If she didn’t, the now Princess and Prince would have been known as Lady Charlotte Mountbatten-Windsor and Earl Louis Mountbatten-Windsor.

Now that Prince Harry has been pushed down to sixth in the line of succession, it’s highly unlikely his son (who will be seventh in line to the throne) will one day be the Monarch.

However, the rule also means that should Prince Charles take over from his mother, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry and Meghan’s son could eventually become a prince, as his grandfather would be king.

And at the end of the day, the Queen has the final say and can intervene where titles are concerned.

So, what will Harry and Meghan’s children’s royal titles be?

Given Prince Harry was gifted a Dukedom on his wedding day, and he and Meghan are now known as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, their children will likely be given lord, earl or lady titles.

Now that we know this first baby is a boy, he will likely be known as Earl of Dumbarton – because a first son of a duke is allowed to use one of his father’s other lesser titles as a courtesy title.

Harry was also made the Earl of Dumbarton on the morning of his wedding, as well as being given a dukedom.

What surname will he have?

Although Harry and Meghan’s son will be George, Charlotte and Louis’ cousin on their father’s side, the royal kids will not share the same surname.

Last year, it was announced that Prince George would be known officially as ‘George Cambridge’ when he started school at Thomas’ Battersea in London – a name which stems from his father being the Duke of Cambridge.

It mirrored the announcement made years ago when Prince William and Prince Harry started school and revealed they would be known as ‘William Wales’ and ‘Harry Wales’ – due to their father, Prince Charles, being known as the Prince of Wales.

The royal brothers kept that surname as they moved into adulthood, with Prince William using the name ‘William Wales ‘during his career as an air ambulance pilot and Prince Harry going by ‘Harry Wales’ when he served in the army.

Likewise, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are reported to go by the names ‘Eugenie York’ and ‘Beatrice York’ from time-to-time.

Therefore, if Harry and Meghan’s child so wished, he could go by the surname ‘Sussex’ instead of ‘Windsor’ or ‘Mountbatten-Windsor’.

What have other members of the royal family done?

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 eight 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.

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