Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet: Why Harry and Meghan waited until now to use royal titles for their children
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have publicly used the titles prince and princess for their children Archie and Lilibet for the first time.
They used the title princess for their daughter, known as Lili for short, when she was christened in Los Angeles on Friday.
It was the first time Lilibet has been publicly referred to as a princess.
Why did Archie and Lilibet not previously have their royal titles?
Technically Harry and Meghan’s children became a prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but they have remained “master” and “miss” on the Buckingham Palace website for the last six months.
The palace has confirmed the site’s line of succession list would now be updated to reflect the change, after a spokesperson for the Sussexes publicly referred to Lilibet as a princess when announcing news of her christening.
Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 gave the children and grandchildren of a sovereign the automatic right to the HRH, prince and princess titles.
When Archie was born, he was the great-grandchild of a sovereign rather than a grandchild, so was not given the title.
However, when the Queen died and her son King Charles acceded to the throne, it meant Archie and Lilibet were entitled to be a prince and princess.
They are also entitled to use the HRH style – although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after leaving the working monarchy.
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Lilibet. Pic: Misan Harriman
How will the titles be used?
It is understood the titles will be used in formal settings but not in everyday conversational use.
As such, the announcement of Lillibet’s baptism in California was the first opportunity to use her title since the death of the Queen.
Harry and Meghan are keen not to deny their children their birthright, but wish to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when they are older whether to drop or keep using the royal titles.
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Meghan claimed Archie was not given title because of his race
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan complained that Archie was not automatically given the title of prince.
“They didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol, and [said] that he wasn’t going to receive security,” Meghan said.
Asked if she was bothered her son was not going to be given the title, she said: “All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment I don’t personally have. I have been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess, and I’ve always just been Meghan.
“The most important title I will ever have is Mom but the idea of our son not being safe and also the idea of the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be…”
She said the convention of whether her children would be princes or princesses was changed while she was pregnant: “It’s not their right to take it away… While I was pregnant they said they want to change the convention for Archie. Well, why?”
However, when he was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, Archie was too far down the line of succession – though he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.
Could King Charles remove Archie and Lilibet’s royal titles?
It was previously reported in 2021 that Charles intended, when he became monarch, to prevent Archie from becoming a prince in a bid to limit the number of key royals.
To do so he would have to issue a Letters Patent amending Archie’s right to be a prince and Lilibet’s right to be a princess.
It is understood the King was aware beforehand that the Sussexes intended to refer to their daughter as Princess Lili.
Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.
It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.
However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.
Captain Virgil van Dijk (centre) celebrates. Pic: Reuters
Salah on his knees in celebration after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott (below) and Jarell Quansah celebrate after full-time. Pic: PA
Slot cheers after the full-time whistle. Pic: AP
In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.
The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.
“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”
Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas poses with a Premier League trophy cut out. Pic: Reuters
Manager Arne Slot and his team after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.
He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”
Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.
Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.
Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans after scouring the fourth Liverpool goal. Pic: AP
Fans at Anfield during the game. Pic: AP
Fans in the stands at Anfield before full-time. Pic: Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.
It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.
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Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
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