Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Harry and Meghan’s children, are now using their formal royal titles of prince and princess, respectively, abcnews reported.
Archie, who will be four in May, and Lili, who will be two in June, inherited the titles when their grandpa, King Charles III, ascended to the throne in September when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died.
Nevertheless, it remained unclear if Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, and Meghan would use the titles for their children. The Sussexes retired as senior working royals in 2020 and currently reside in Montecito, California.
The title question was answered on Wednesday when a spokeswoman for the Sussexes announced that Harry and Meghan hosted Lili’s baptism. The spokesperson utilised Lili’s princess title in the statement.
“I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor,” the spokesperson was quoted by abcnews in its report.
The royal family’s official website had been updated with the new titles on Thursday, naming Harry and Meghan’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
In a fresh statement issued Thursday, a representative for the Sussexes said, “The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became Monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Because Harry’s older brother, Prince William, is the heir to the throne, his three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, have always used the titles of prince and princess.
George, Charlotte, and Louis are second, third, and fourth in line to the throne, respectively, while Archie is sixth in line, just behind his father, and Lilibet is seventh.
The choice by Harry and Meghan to adopt prince and princess titles for Archie and Lili comes as they distance themselves from their formal royal positions.