A lot has been made about the fact that the offspring of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry don’t have royal titles. Recent information though seems to indicate that the Queen was willing to make Archie an earl upon his birth. His parents though turned down the offer.
This time around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have been right to do so. The title that the Queen had chosen may have caused kids to bully Archie. Especially now in what seems to be an American life that he’ll have to deal with!
Was The Name Really That Bad?
Would anyone in their right mind want to be called the “Earl of Dumbarton”? Reports indicate that Harry and Meghan turned down the title because it had the word “dumb” in it. It’s not that hard to picture a couple of young boys having a field day with the title. Particularly in America where some of these names are not as common. Rejecting a title for Archie isn’t something that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did recently. Therefore, it can’t be mixed in with the whole Oprah interview saga. It does however show that there were issues between the couple and the family even when they were still back in Britain!
Dumbarton Is A Real Place
It wasn’t like The Queen picked the name out of a hat or thought of a way to ensure her great-grandson was bullied. Dumbarton is a small town that sits on the bank of the River Clyde in Scotland. Local business, as well as soccer clubs, have voiced their opinion on the matter.
The local soccer club known as the Dumbarton FC posted a picture on their social media with some of the players standing by a chalkboard with the words, “we will not be dumb” written all over it.
That’s A Great Way To Keep Scotland In The UK
Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meghan and Harry rejecting a title granted to them by The Queen with a funny name can make for a quick laugh. Surely, most people won’t think much of it. However, it’s certainly something that’s not ideal. Particularly, since Scotland has hinted for years that they may want out of the United Kingdom.
Certainly, Meghan and Harry don’t want their kid to be bullied at school, but he could’ve taken one for the team here. There are probably plenty of Scottish people that won’t find this story flattering!
Why Dumbarton Of All Places?
Why did The Queen hand out the dukedom of Dumbarton title to Harry and Meghan? It is a town of only about 20,000 inhabitants nothing major. The thing is, The Queen only has a limited number of royal titles that she can dish out. Most of these titles become available as the former holders die off without any descendants. In fact, it’s likely that we’ll see the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward become Duke of Edinborough one day. Taking up the mantle from his father.
All of this though seems like a terrible PR move by The Palace. They could have talked to Harry and Meghan about the title before they announced they’d be called that. That way the couple wouldn’t have had to publically reject the town!
