Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly declined to use a significant royal title for their son Archie after both had concerns about the “potential pitfalls” and "unfortunate nicknames" that could arise from it.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child, Archie, in 2019.
- It’s now been claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided against using a particular title for Archie to avoid potential "unfortunate nicknames".
- This royal news comes as it was revealed that Prince Harry is to ‘isolate with cousin Princess Eugenie’ when he returns to the UK.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle allegedly decided against using a prestigious title for their son Archie after concerns it could lead to 'unfortunate nicknames'. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child in May 2019 and the exciting arrival of the Queen’s new great-grandchild came almost exactly a year after Harry and Meghan got married at St George’s Chapel. The couple went on to reveal their son’s full name is Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
This might well have surprised some fans, who could’ve expected that as the son of Prince Harry, who is now sixth in line to the throne, Archie would have a royal title.
However, Archie is not a prince, as royal protocol brought in by George V in 1917 states that only children and grandchildren of a sovereign have the automatic right to the title HRH and prince or princess. However, it was speculated that Archie could perhaps use another title.
Though Harry is most commonly referred to as Prince Harry or the Duke of Sussex, he also has subsidiary titles, such as Earl of Dumbarton. Reports have previously suggested that Archie could perhaps have used this title, though now it’s been claimed that his parents decided against it for a key reason.
According to The Telegraph, multiple sources have alleged to the publication that Harry and Meghan decided against using this Scottish noble title as they had concerns it might attract "unfortunate nicknames" or that Archie could be "bullied" because of it. This is said to be because the title has the word “dumb” in it, which is more prevalent in the US as slang for “stupid”.
“They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word 'dumb' [and] they were worried about how that might look”, a source is said to have claimed to The Telegraph.
Whilst another insider reportedly added: “It wasn’t just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry.”
The Earl of Dumbarton is what Harry is known as when he is in Scotland, whilst he is known as Baron Kilkeel in Northern Ireland. Neither Prince Harry or Meghan have spoken out on the recent claims.
The couple have recently welcomed their first daughter, Lilibet 'Lili' Diana and are embracing life in their new LA home since they "stepped back" as senior working royals. However, Archie and Lilibet will be eligible to gain a royal title when Prince Charles becomes king.
At this time, the Sussex children will be grandchildren of the monarch and therefore entitled to the titles of prince and princess.
