Last night, the highly anticipated Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tell-all Oprah interview aired in the US (it'll be on ITV this evening) and the couple discussed everything from mental health to their secret wedding – and why their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, doesn't have the title of 'Prince Archie'. This comes in spite of him being seventh in line to the throne.
Archie's cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, all have a prince or princess title and up until now, it was believed that Archie was referred to simply as a 'Master' because Meghan and Harry wanted their son to have as normal a life as possible.
It was reported that by birthright (as he's the firstborn son of a duke), Archie could have adopted the title Earl of Dumbarton but that the couple deliberately declined that moniker, and in any formal statements issued by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, or the Palace, Archie has never been referred to as HRH either.
However, Meghan has now claimed that's not true and the reason Archie doesn't have a title is because the royal family didn't want him to have one. She told Oprah (and the world) that she did want her son to receive a title, as that would've afforded him a security team.
"They were saying they didn't want him to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn't going to receive security," Meghan said. "This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I was going, hold on for a second."
She continued on to say, "They said [he's not going to get security], because he's not going to be a prince. Okay, well, he needs to be safe – so we're not saying don't make him a prince or princess, but if you're saying the title is what's going to affect that protection, we haven't created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder, you've allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe."
Everyone's clicking on...
Meghan added that she was never given a clear reason why they (it's unclear if she means the Queen, or other royal family members, in this instance) did not want Archie to be given a title. "If it meant he was going to be safe, of course. All the grandeur around this stuff is an attachment I don't have... the most important title I will ever have is mom."
When his grandfather, Prince Charles, eventually does become the King, Archie will automatically become a prince, yet to that note Meghan said, "Even with that convention [that automatically makes all grandchildren of the monarch a prince or princess], they said, 'I want to change the convention for Archie.' Well, why?"
She also added that it's concerning that "the first member of colour in this family isn't being titled in the same way as other grandchildren would be."
During the interview, Meghan also shared that the child she is currently expecting, Archie's younger sibling, is a girl.
The Palace are yet to comment on any of the claims made during the Oprah interview.
CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry will air on ITV at 9pm tonight and on ITV Hub, Courtesy of Harpo Productions/CBS.
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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.
