Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Clinging To HRH Titles For Kids' Future

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have no plans to let go of a critical part of the Royal life they ran away from.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, despite resigning as working royals in 2020, have seemingly decided to retain the "HRH" titles for their two children, but not without raising eyebrows from a few quarters.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a strained relationship with the royal family since moving to the U.S. in 2020, citing media toxicity and ill treatment from the palace.

A source close to the couple explained that the prince plans to keep the title for Archie and Lilibet and leave them with the choice to become working royals or pursue other interests when they get older.

This decision may not favor the young royals in the long run, especially when Prince William inevitably ascends the throne. A source claimed that the possibility of William holding his grudge with Meghan and Harry over their kids is somewhat high.

Although the older prince has reached a point of indifference towards Harry, he may not be willing to set himself up for another disappointment by welcoming his niece and nephew into the fold as adults.

Instead, Daily Mail shared that Archie and Lilibet are projected to spend their youth in the luxury plains of Montecito, away from the politics and bureaucracy of the royal family.

Meghan herself had shared her hopes of making money moves in the future with her daughter during a talk with Oprah Winfrey last month.

The young royals did not immediately become princes and princesses at birth, as they were not grandchildren of a monarch at the time. However, after King Charles was installed as the head of the monarchy, Archie and Lilibet got titles added to their names.

Meghan had earlier blamed the lack of titles for Archie at birth on the fact that he was of mixed race during her interview with Oprah in 2021. The palace quickly debunked this and explained that the rules governing the titles of royal children were set out by George V – Queen Elizabeth's grandfather – in 1917.

Another moment of tension was recorded on the title issue in June after a source claimed Meghan and Harry were tired of waiting for their children's passports to arrive from the U.K.

They reportedly believed the application may have been blocked because they wanted HRH on their travel documents. Meghan and Harry also opted for Sussex as the kids' surname, a far move away from the usual Mountbatten-Windsor surname.

"The King hadn't wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names," an insider from Harry and Meghan's camp shared.

Buckingham Palace denied that the King or his staff intervened. The couple allegedly had their lawyers contact the HM Passport Office about Archie and Lilibet's applications. Shortly after, the passports were issued with HRH titles and Sussex as the surname.

The Invictus Games founder, in his moment of waiting for feedback from the United Kingdom, found himself at a serious crossroads. The Blast shared that he approached his maternal uncle, Earl Spencer, for advice on a backup surname should the royals not come through.

The conversation happened on Harry's recent trip to the United Kingdom. Harry reportedly asked Earl for permission to officially adopt Spencer as his children's last name if the family insisted on refusing Sussex as a replacement for their traditional last name.

However, his uncle advised against making such a move, and it appears Harry's patience paid off. On his and Meghan's HRH titles, the couple reportedly promised the late Queen Elizabeth to ditch the title since they were non-working royals; however, they are not legally banned from using the title.

Professionally, the couple has also failed to get it right with the royals back home. As noted by The Blast, Meghan and Harry appointed a nemesis of the palace as the new director of communications of the Archwell company.

Emily Robinson was reportedly responsible for the publicity of Netflix's "The Crown" and headed the global promotion team for seasons three to six.

In "The Crown" fifth season, the show portrayed an alleged plot by King Charles to dethrone his mother, depicting his anticipation for her to abdicate the crown in his favor. 

Robinson also promoted several controversial episodes, including Harry's appearance in Nazi fancy dress, Diana's Panorama interview, and a fictional portrayal of a 'ghost' Diana conversing with the Queen. 

All these scenes reportedly left a bitter taste in the mouth of the royals, and Robinson played a major role in the team that refused to add a disclaimer to the show.

Meghan and Harry did not seem to care about her controversial history and are instead focused on how she can position their brand in the global space through her expertise.