We love a royal baby! Well, given the current pandemic, good news can feel scarce so celebrating new life is a must. Right? This time around, it's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who have announced a pregnancy, making their one-year-old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, a soon-to-be big brother.
Already, speculation is rife as to when Meghan's due date might be and as to how their second child will fit into the royal family e.g. where will they sit in line to the throne and will they have an official fancy royal title? While the former is something only the Duke and Duchess of Sussex know (along with whichever close friends and family members they've opted to share that intel with), we can give some pretty educated responses as to the latter two questions.
In terms of throne succession, Harry is at present sixth in line – behind his father, Prince Charles, then his elder brother, Prince William and William's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Archie, despite having no royal title (his parents decided to forgo the Queen's offering of Earl of Dumbarton following his birth) is still seventh in line for the job. Meaning, the new Sussex child will be eighth in line.
On the subject of titles, as mentioned, Archie was never assigned one at birth, so it's unlikely that Meghan and Harry will give their second child a title either. It's believed their decision to keep Archie sans earldom was part of their plan to step down from their senior royal roles and start a new, more private life overseas – something they've well and truly achieved.
To that note, the new Sussex baby will also likely be born in California, where the family currently resides in Montecito, making them the first royal to be born abroad in over 90 years (with Prince Philip being the most recent example of this happening; he was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu, Greece). By default, this will automatically make them an American citizen – further cementing Meghan and Harry's roots in the good old US of A.
Here's wishing Meghan a very happy and healthy pregnancy! We look forward to hearing about any more details the couple may choose to share.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
