Following the announcement of Lilibet’s christening, Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson confirmed in a statement that their two children will now be known as Prince and Princess. “Children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” they wrote. “This matter has been settled for some time in agreement with Buckingham Palace.” On March 9, the Buckingham Palace website’s estate page was updated to reflect the new titles of Archie and Lilibet, with the children currently sixth and seventh to the throne respectively.
However, it is still unclear whether Archie and Lilibet will be referred to as HRH – His Royal Highness and His Royal Highness – although the 1917 Letters Patent allows them to use the title. Prince Harry and Meghan have kept their HRH titles but no longer use them, following their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family in January 2020.
While royal protocol gives the monarch’s grandchildren the right to HRH titles, they are not always used. For example, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex decided that their children, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, could choose whether they wanted to use them when they turned 18. Similarly, Princess Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, do not use HRH titles, even though they were gifted to them by Queen Elizabeth II when they were born.
Princess Lilibet was baptized by the Most Reverend John Taylor, Bishop of Los Angeles, in an intimate ceremony at the family home in Montecito, California. The King, Queen Consort and Prince and Princess of Wales were reportedly invited to the christening but did not attend. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, is said to have been present, as well as Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry, who revealed he was asked to play the role in the Harry and Meghan documentary on Netflix, released in December.