That's prince and princess to you: Harry and Meghan's kids get new titles, palace website says

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's two children have officially inherited their royal titles.

The palace's website updated the names of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's children to Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on Thursday for its royal line of succession. Previously, the website had the 4-year-old and 21-month-old's names, respectively, as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

The change comes a day after Princess Lilibet's christening was announced Wednesday in a statement from Harry and Meghan, marking the first time the couple has publicly called their daughter a princess.

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How do royal titles work?

Titles are conferred in line with a decree issued by King George V in 1917 that limits the titles of prince and princess to the male-line grandchildren of the sovereign. As the closest descendants most likely to ever assume the throne, they are usually given those titles at birth.

The monarch could also decide to extend those titles to great-grandchildren.

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Is Harry and Meghan's son Archie a prince?

When Harry and Meghan welcomed Archie in 2019, the current royal rules stated that he would not automatically receive a title, with the understanding that that could change once Charles ascended the throne. Even if Charles signed off, the duke and duchess would need to agree, too.

The palace's website recently updated Archie's name from Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor to Prince Archie of Sussex, confirming the 4-year-old's use of a royal title. It also means all parties have come to an agreement on the matter.

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Is Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet a princess?

Buckingham Palace's website also updated Harry and Meghan's daughter's name from Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor to Princess Lilibet of Sussex, confirming the 21-month-old's use of a royal title.

The duke and duchess also used Lilibet's official title in an announcement Wednesday of her christening the previous week.

Why didn't Archie and Lilibet automatically assume royal titles?

As long as the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, were the sovereign’s grandchildren. Harry and William’s children, as great-grandchildren, didn’t receive the titles automatically.

But Elizabeth had the power to amend the rules, and in 2012 she decreed that the children of Prince William and Duchess Kate would be princes and princesses. This decree didn’t apply to Harry and Meghan, who were married in 2018 and welcomed their children in 2019 and 2021.

As a result, William's children have always been listed under their royal titles Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales.

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However, the situation changed when King Charles III ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's death in September. William and Harry are the king’s sons, meaning their offspring are now royal grandchildren and so entitled to be known as prince and princess.

What did Harry and Meghan say to Oprah about royal titles?

The lack of title for Archie and Lilibet presented greater issues, because it meant their children could not, as a consequence, get royal security coverage despite intense media attention surrounding the couple.

Harry and Meghan laid out their grievances over Archie's title in a tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021. "If he’s not going to be a prince, it’s like, 'OK, well, he needs to be safe, so we’re not saying don’t make him a prince.' … But if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect their protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder," Meghan told Winfrey of her frustrations with the palace. "You’ve allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe."

Meghan also suggested that this was because Archie was the royal family’s "first member of color" and would have marked the first time a royal grandchild wasn’t given the same title as the other grandchildren.

At the time, royal experts said Meghan’s comments appeared to be based on a misunderstanding of the way royal titles are conferred.

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Where do Harry and Meghan's kids fall in the line of succession?

The Sussex children's royal titles or previous lack there of have never affected their place in the line of succession. Archie is sixth and Lilibet is seventh, right behind their father Harry, who is fifth in line for the crown.

As Charles and Princess Diana's first born, William is first in the line of succession. The Prince of Wales's kids George, Charlotte and Louis, are behind him, respectively.

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Contributing: Danica Kirka, The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's children get new royal family titles