Yes, the children of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Badge of the House of Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

Yes, the children of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess now that their paternal grandfather is King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Why would they be entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess?

In 1917, King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. Under the 1917 Letters Patent, Prince Harry’s children Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex are entitled to the style and title His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess, now that their paternal grandfather has succeeded to the throne. Prince Harry’s children are now male-line grandchildren of the Sovereign. Of course, King Charles III or any other sovereign can change this.

Although Letters Patent, Warrants, and Proclamations are sometimes issued when titles and styles are changed, it is not necessary. Royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Exceptions to the rule can be made by the Sovereign. For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness. This meant that all the children of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge would be HRH Prince/Princess not just his eldest son.

Which current members of the British Royal Family are HRH Prince/Princess because they are male-line grandchildren of a Sovereign?

Why are the children of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, not HRH Prince/Princess?

At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children of their marriage would not be given the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons or daughters of an Earl. No Letters Patent was issued. However, royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Prince Edward’s son James is styled Viscount Severn (one of his father’s subsidiary titles) and his daughter is styled Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could make a similar decision regarding their children.

Are the children of Prince Harry entitled to any other titles?

Archie is the heir apparent to his father’s Dukedom of Sussex, Earldom of Dumbarton, and Barony of Kilkeel. It is customary that a peer’s heir apparent use one of their parent’s subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. In this case, the courtesy title would be Earl of Dumbarton. Although Archie was entitled to use one of Prince Harry’s subsidiary titles, and their daughter Lilibet was entitled to be styled in the manner of a daughter of a Duke: Lady <first name> Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided not to do so. As of March 2023, their children use the styles and titles HRH Prince Archie of Sussex and HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

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