The royal privilege Archie and Lilibet will miss out on despite new Prince and Princess titles

There's a special royal title Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet won't be able to use

Archie Lilibet Prince Princess
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It's been confirmed by the Royal Family that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie and Lilibet, have been granted Prince and Princess titles - but there's a royal privilege they reportedly still won't have access to. 


Following the news that Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was christened in a lowkey California ceremony with no royals in attendance, it has been confirmed that she and her older brother Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor have been granted some special new titles. 

Are Archie and Lilibet Prince and Princess?

It appears that Archie and Lili are officially now a prince and a princess, with the Royal Family website listing them as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex in the line of succession. 

The change to the official line of succession page suggests that King Charles III has granted his grandchildren the prestigious titles ahead of his coronation in May, in light of Princess Lilibet's christening and Harry and Meghan's plea for their children to be given their 'birthright' royal titles. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle publicly referred to their daughter as Princess Lilibet for the first time in announcing that she had been christened, with their representative sharing, "I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor."

After King Charles took the throne in September 2022, following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are sixth and seventh in line to the throne, remained as 'Master' and 'Miss' on the line of succession. 

However, in a statement, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declared, "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."

Archie Lilibet Prince Princess

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who was named after the late Queen Elizabeth II in a decision that has been hailed 'disrespectful', being given their 'birthright' titles, it's believed there is a royal name privilege that they still won't have access to. 

It's understood that while Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have been granted their new royal names, they will not be permitted to use the HRH title that the likes of their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are entitled to.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from their lives as official working royals in 2020, they gave up their right to use their HRH titles. 

Archie Lilibet Prince Princess

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prior to the announcement of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's new titles, royal expert Katie Nicholl explained, "They wouldn't get the HRH anyway because they wouldn't be able to use it. Because Harry and Meghan can't."

Highlighting why the children being granted the honor of being a prince and a princess might hold such importance for Prince Harry and Meghan, Katie told Palace Confidential, "Prince and Princess are going to carry a lot more weight, of course, in America with what they do. And then, there's the security issue attached to it."

Caitlin Elliott
News Editor

Caitlin is News Editor for woman&home, covering all things royal, celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Caitlin started on local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree. She also worked in Fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Arcadia's Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role.