- 87,210
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
To be fair, it is intensely confusing exactly what their titles, and those of their children, should be. But she should be Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - despite "Megxit".
Technically, according to the latest Letters Patent, both Archie and Lilibet should now become Prince and Princess, as they are children of a child of the monarch. Previously, as grandchildren of a child of the monarch but not grandchildren of the monarch's first heir's heir, they weren't eligible to be prince/princess. In that Oprah thing, Meghan claimed Archie was denied princehood due to his "mixed-race heritage", but it's been standard since 1917.
Meghan is also not eligible to be a princess; spouses of Princes are not princesses unless the princehood is conferred after marriage. In one of those stark parallels we have these days, Diana was also not a princess officially until after her divorce; her title "Princess of Wales" meant "Prince of Wales's wife" and not "Princess Diana". She had the title "Diana, Princess of Wales" conferred to her in 1996.
Kate is now technically a princess - "Catherine, Princess of Wales" - because her husband has become Prince of Wales and they're already married. Their children, as children of the heir of the heir, were entitled to prince/princess at birth (although the princess amendment only came in 2012). I genuinely have no recollection what their kids are called, but the eldest boy's kids would be prince/princess and the other kids' children won't be unless Charles dies before then and William accedes to the throne.
However Charles could change literally any of that (and has previously spoken of shrinking the numbers of primary Royals) with his own Letters Patent.
