After the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s royal baby in the spring, what title will the little boy or girl receive?
William Bortrick, chairman of Burke’s Peerage, tells PEOPLE that the answer is not so simple.
Since Harry and Meghan were named the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day, it’s traditional for the eldest son of a duke to eventually inherit his father’s title. If their baby is a boy, he could be known by the title Earl of Dumbarton, the secondary Sussex title, before inheriting the dukedom, Bortrick explains.
Any younger sons will be known as Lord (His Name) Windsor, while daughters will be called Lady (Her Name) Windsor.
However, Queen Elizabeth may decide to go a different route and give Meghan and Harry’s child a similar title to their cousins — the three children of Prince William and Kate Middleton: Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 3, and Prince Louis, 6 months. In that case, according to Bortrick, Harry’s sons will be styled as His Royal Highness Prince (His Name) of Sussex, while daughters will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess (Her Name) of Sussex.
Since a dukedom can only be inherited by a male heir, the title will die out if Meghan and Harry don’t have any sons. Meghan has said in the past that both she and Harry are feminists, and her “About” page on the royal family website underscores the importance of her being a champion of female empowerment. “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist,” she is quoted on the site.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Future Daughters Will Not Inherit Titles
Changes regarding male and female heirs have been made before. Thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, birth order determines who will become the next king or queen of the U.K., regardless of gender. Had it not been in place, Princess Charlotte would have lost her spot to baby brother, Prince Louis. The legislation was first passed while Kate was pregnant with Prince George.
Queen Elizabeth granted Prince Andrew’s request that his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, receive the title of “princess” rather than “lady.” In 2016, Andrew refuted reports that he had demanded titles for “any future husbands” of his daughters, stating he simply wanted his children to be considered “modern, working young women who happen to be members of the royal family.”
Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank did not receive any titles following their royal wedding on Friday, meaning their future children will not inherit any titles themselves.
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Of course, Meghan and Harry could forego giving their children titles all together.
Princess Anne‘s children, Peter and Zara, were not entitled to royal status by birth since titles can only be given to a monarch’s grandchildren through sons, not daughters. However, the Queen extended a courtesy title to Anne’s children, which she declined.
Their father, Captain Mark Phillips, was a commoner and also turned down a title that would have been given to him as a wedding gift from the Queen when he wed Princess Anne.
“I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do,” Zara told The Times in a 2015 interview.
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