Loss of Privileges for Non-Titled Kids: Prince Harry and Meghan’s Decision to Leave the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to leave the UK for a life in California may have been influenced by the lack of privileges that come with their children not having prince and princess titles, according to royal expert Gertrude Daly.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to step back from senior royal duties on January 8, 2020.

In a subsequent tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March this year, they made claims of bullying and racism within the royal family.

Daly, who hosts the Gert's Royal podcast, suggests that Harry and Meghan were able to exploit people's lack of understanding about British titles to their advantage.

“I think what upset the Sussexes was the loss of the privileges that come with not having the title prince/princess,” Daly shared with the Daily Star.

“And I think they also, in the Oprah interview, were playing into most people's lack of understanding of how British titles work.”

The couple's decision not to give their son, Archie, a prince title at the time of his birth in May 2019 was reported to be a deliberate choice to provide him with a more normal life.

However, Meghan claimed in the Oprah interview that the monarchy institution did not want their child to have a title.

Daly disputes this, citing a 100-year-old rule that governs the issue.

She states that the decision about Harry's children not being prince/princess was made long ago.

During the Queen's reign, the 1917 letters patent by King George V stipulated that only children of the monarch, children of the sons of the monarch, and the eldest son of the heir apparent were entitled to the prince/princess title.

Therefore, the rule preventing Harry's children from having the title dates back to 1917.

Despite this, the couple attempted to use Archie's lack of title as an example of racism and prejudice within the royal family during the Oprah interview.

Meghan addressed this issue in her conversation with Oprah, explaining that the palace decreed that Archie would not have any title, which she claimed was different from protocol.

She also revealed that there were concerns and conversations about how dark Archie's skin might be when he was born, highlighting further tensions within the family.

When Prince Harry and Meghan got married in May 2018, Queen Elizabeth bestowed upon them the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Initially, Archie was entitled to the courtesy title of Earl of Dumbarton.

However, the couple decided not to give him a courtesy title, and he is now known as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

According to current guidelines, great-grandchildren of the monarch are not automatically princes or princesses, except for the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, which is why Prince William and Kate Middleton's children hold the prince/princess title.

It is worth noting that there is a possibility that Archie could receive a royal title later in life.

When Prince Charles ascends the throne, as the child of a son of the king, the title of prince will be automatically granted to him.