Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet: Royal titles for children of Harry, Meghan are confirmed

The children of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will be known as prince and princess, with the couple publicly using their daughter's royal title for the first time to announce she had been christened.

Under royal rules, the monarch's grandchildren can become princes or princesses of the realm, meaning that Harry's children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, were eligible to use the titles since their grandfather became king last September.

"I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3, by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor," a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday.

Buckingham Palace said it will update the royal website to reflect Archie and Lilibet's titles in "due course."

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It was not known until Wednesday whether the couple, who stepped back from royal duties in March 2020 and now live in California, would want their children to be known as prince and princess.

Meghan said in an interview two years ago that the Royal Family refused to make her son Archie a prince and had conversations about how dark his skin might be.

The titles are in line with the precedent created by a letters patent issued by George V in 1917 which conferred the title of prince or princess on male line grandchildren of the sovereign. 

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The interest in Harry's children's titles comes amid reports of Harry's frayed relationship with his father King Charles and brother Prince William following the release of his tell-all memoir earlier this year and documentary series late last year, in which he made accusations against the Royal Family.

It is not known whether Harry will attend his father's coronation in May.