Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say Archie & Lilibet’s prince and princess titles are their ‘birthright’ in new statement
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have said it is their children’s “birthright” to be called prince and princess.
The couple gave their daughter Lilibet the title for the first time yesterday when confirming she had been christened last week.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to use prince and princess for both kids in formal settings now Charles is King, it is understood.
A spokesperson 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.”
Harry and Meghan are said to be keen to allow Archie and Lili the chance to decide for themselves whether to drop or keep using the titles when they get older.
The youngsters became prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained a plain “master” and “miss” on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.
The Palace confirmed the site’s line of succession list will be updated to reflect the change.
It is understood the King was aware beforehand that the Sussexes intended to refer to their daughter as Princess Lili and that there had been correspondence about the matter.
A source told the Mirror: “The appropriate conversations took place ahead of Lilibet’s christening.”
Lili, who turns two in June, was baptised in California on Friday.
Around 25 guests gathered to celebrate the occasion – and members of the Royal Family were invited but chose not to go, PEOPLE reports.
The Sussexes allegedly asked Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate to be there but they declined the offer, according to a source.
Instead, the duke and duchess were joined by three-year-old Archie, Meghan‘s mum Doria Ragland, Lili‘s godfather Tyler Perry and between 20 and 30 close friends.
They are said to have enjoyed an afternoon of food and dancing following the ceremony at their home.
A spokesperson for the couple said: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
It is the first time Lili has been publicly referred to as a princess.
As the children of a sovereign’s son, Archie and Lili are automatically a prince and princess and now have an HRH style if they choose.
When Archie was born in May 2019, he was seventh in line to the throne so was too far down the line of succession.
Although 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.