As the son of Prince Harry, Prince Archie is part of the British royal family’s line of succession, though his life is across the pond, far away from the royal spotlight.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child on May 6, 2019 at London’s Portland Hospital. Two days later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed that they had named their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
“It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing. I have the best two guys in the world, so I’m really happy,” Meghan said after introducing Archie at Windsor Castle. At the time, she described her baby boy as “really calm” and having “the sweetest temperament.”
© Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesMeghan and Harry welcomed their son, Archie, on May 6, 2019
Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton, which is one of Harry’s subsidiary titles, or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, but instead, he was styled as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. A source said back then that Harry and Meghan had “chosen not to use a courtesy title.”
A title for the grandson of a King
When his paternal grandfather, King Charles, ascended the throne in September 2022, Archie was entitled to become a Prince. The letters patent issued by King George V in 1917 established that the children of the son of a sovereign “shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names, or with their other titles of honour.”
HELLO! exclusively revealed that the King and Harry had agreed at the end of 2022 that Archie and Lilibet should use their royal titles. Though it wasn’t until months after Charles became King that it emerged, in March 2023, that Meghan and Harry were using their kids’ Prince and Princess titles.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” a spokesperson for the Sussexes said.
At the time, it was understood that Archie and Lilibet’s titles would be used in formal settings, but not in everyday conversational use by Harry and Meghan. The Duke and Duchess were understood to be keen to not deny their son and daughter their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using the titles.
Two years earlier, during her sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan referred to her kids’ titles as their “birthright.” Discussing her son’s title, the Duchess told Oprah: “It’s not our decision to make.” Meghan said: “Even though I have a lot of clarity on what comes with the titles, good and bad, and from my experience a lot of pain, I again wouldn’t wish pain on my child, but that is their birthright to then make a choice about.”
© Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImagePrince Archie is the grandson of King Charles
The As ever founder also claimed in the interview that the palace didn’t want Archie to be a Prince, which she said “would be different from protocol.” When asked if the title was important to her, the Duchess said, “If it meant he was going to be safe, then of course.”
“All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment that I don’t personally have,” Meghan said. “I’ve been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess, I’ve always just still been Meghan. So for me, I am clear on who I am independent of that stuff, and the most important title I will ever have is Mom. I know that. But the idea of our son not being safe and also the idea that the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.”
A future role in the public eye?
Meghan and Harry lost their taxpayer-funded security after stepping from royal duties in March 2020. While Archie’s parents are no longer working members of the royal family, the Duke of Sussex reportedly wants to leave the door open for his children to potentially become working royals in the future.
The Guardian reported in 2025 that Harry wanted his son and daughter to keep their His/Her Royal Highness styling so they can decide when they are older “whether they want to become working royals, or stay out of public life.” Archie and Lilibet are currently sixth and seventh in line to the throne, after their uncle Prince William and cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
© InstagramHarry reportedly wants to leave the door open for his children to potentially become working royals in the future
Meghan and Harry hinted at their kids’ involvement in their work when they announced in 2025 that their Archewell Foundation was being renamed Archewell Philanthropies. A spokesperson for the couple said: “This charitable entity allows the couple and their children to expand upon their global philanthropic endeavors as a family.”
According to Harry, Archie has previously expressed interest in being an astronaut or a pilot. Speaking at the opening of the 2022 Invictus Games, the Duke shared: “But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today.”
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