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The Queen is reportedly expected to reach out to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to discuss the issue of Archie’s title, a royal expert, Richard Fitzwilliams, has said.
According to Fitzwilliams, it was not clear exactly what the Sussexes wanted for their son due to previous reports that suggested they didn’t want him to have a title.
“The issue of the title, I had always understood they didn’t want a title and wished for him to grow up normally,” Fitzwilliams said, according to Express.
The Queen is expected to reach out to the couple to seek clarification.
“The issue with the title wasn’t linked to anything to do with race,” he continued. “It was under the current rules which date back to 1917. But if it is wished that they have one [a title for Archie] that is something that would be done.”
The royal expert also explained that although Archie is currently not qualified for the title of prince, he is entitled to adopt the title of Earl of Dumbarton.
Markle alleged that a member of the Royal Family expressed concern about Archie’s skin color
The latest report comes after Meghan Markle claimed during a bombshell two-hour interview with Oprah earlier in the month that the Royal Family did not want her son Archie to be a prince. She also claimed that Palace aides told her that her son would not get security protection.
Markle said she was concerned about her son’s safety after learning that he would not be given security protection.
She also alleged that a member of the Royal Family expressed concern about Archie’s skin color during a conversation with Prince Harry. She said she believed that the Royal Family member thought that it would be “a problem” if Archie was too dark.
She insisted there were racial undertones to the conversation about Archie’s skin color and the decision to deny him a royal title.
During the CBS interview, Oprah asked Markle whether she felt it was “important” that Archie have a title. She answered that although she was more concerned about her son’s safety, she felt it was not appropriate “for the first member of color in this family, not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be.”
Prince Harry also confirmed Markle’s allegation that a member of his family had expressed concern about Archie’s skin tone during a conversation. He said he found the comments about their baby’s skin color “awkward” and that he was “a bit shocked.”
Markle and Harry declined to name the royal who made the alleged racially-charged comments because it would be “damaging.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children all have royal titles
All three of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children have royal titles: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
However, based on the rules laid down by George V in 1917, only William and Kate’s first son, George, was qualified to have a title.
George V’s rule granted the royal title of Prince/Princess only to the children and grandchildren of the reigning king or queen through the male line. But it makes an exception for the “eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales,” who is currently Prince George.
However, in 2013, Queen Elizabeth issued a “letters patent” that granted titles to all three of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children.