Buckingham Palace Finally Updates Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's Titles

Better late than never. After six months of speculation, Buckingham Palace is officially acknowledging Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor as prince and princess.

This Thursday morning, the palace updated the royal line of succession on its official website to reflect the titles Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s two children were afforded after their grandfather King Charles III became monarch in September 2022.

BAZAAR.com reported Wednesday that the palace would be making the update, as a royal source—who confirmed that the Royal.uk website would be updated in “due course”—said the palace had not updated the site previously because Harry and Meghan had not publicly used Lilibet’s new title.

The news follows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex formally addressing their 21-month-old daughter as Princess Lilibet for the first time in a statement confirming her christening in California last week.

Before today, the two children were still being referred to as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor on the royal line of succession website. They are sixth and seventh in line to the throne, respectively.

Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, automatically took on their new titles after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, following a rule set out in a Letters Patent by King George V in 1917. The rule explains, “The children of any sovereign of the United Kingdom and the children of the sons of any such sovereign … shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of prince or princess prefixed to their respective Christian names.”

As Harry agreed to stop using his HRH styling when he stepped back from his royal role in 2020, neither Archie nor Lilibet will be referred to as His or Her Royal Highness. “The use of the style HRH would come through their father and the Duke of Sussex’s HRH is in abeyance,” a palace source says. (It is not known whether this rule will eventually affect Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, whose father, Prince Andrew, was banned from using the style of HRH in January 2022.)

Earlier on Wednesday, March 8, a representative for the Sussexes gave details on Princess Lilibet’s christening. People reported that the couple held an intimate March 3 ceremony at their home in Montecito for 20 to 30 guests, including Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland; Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry; and an unnamed godmother.

“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 told BAZAAR. Bishop Taylor was elected as seventh bishop of the Episcopal Church in Los Angeles in 2016.

A source added that Meghan and Harry extended an invite to King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate, but the senior royals were not in attendance at the ceremony.

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