It’s been nearly a year since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry exchanged vows at Windsor Castle in what was dubbed the “royal wedding of the year” (sorry, Princess Eugenie), but not until Friday, May 17, has it really been confirmed that the former actress is now, indeed, an actual, real-life princess.
The couple has long adopted their official titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but on Friday, the release of their son Archie’s birth certificate revealed that Meghan’s job is now officially “Princess Of The United Kingdom.” (Kate Middleton, who married Prince William back in April 2011, also has the same title listed on her three children’s birth certificates.)
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Also of note on Archie’s birth certificate is Meghan’s full legal name, Rachel Meghan Markle — which is, fun fact, also the name of her former character on Suits (Rachel, that is.)
The birth certificate of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pic.twitter.com/9kvv7teEiB
— Press Association (@PA) May 17, 2019
A few days after Archie was born on May 6, his full name was revealed: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Though he is a royal baby, the palace clarified that he will not be given a “courtesy title” such as His Royal Highness, or Prince, like his cousins Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, and Princess George, have.
Ultimately, according to the 2013 Succession of the Crown Act, Queen Elizabeth is the only one who can determine whether or not Archie becomes a prince honorific; it is highly unlikely that he will. That is not to be interpreted as a slight toward Meghan and Harry, however. It is merely a reflection of Archie’s place as seventh in line to the throne, behind his father and all three of his cousins. And, since it’s unlikely that he’ll inherit the throne at any point in his lifetime, it wouldn’t really make sense to give him the honorific title.
There’s always the chance that he’ll receive some sort of title down the line, though, like a secondary Sussex title as a nod to his parents’ roles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but it’s not quite the kind of priority that either Meghan or Harry seem too concerned about. And Archie’s got bigger things to worry about, too, like napping and being adorable 24/7.