Oprah Winfrey’s highly anticipated interview is set to restart discussion about Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s royal status.
While there was a lot of pomp and ceremony around the birth of Archie’s older cousins – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – there was also a lot less confusion. It was made clear before birth that they would all be styled His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) with the title of Prince or Princess. With Archie – the son of the second son of the Prince of Wales – things are much less clear.
At present Archie is 7th in the line of succession after his grandfather, uncle, three older cousins and his father. Since he is the son of the second son of the Prince of Wales, he is not entitled to any royal title or style.
He is, however, entitled to be styled as the child of a Duke and use his father’s subsidiary title – Earl of Dumbarton – becoming Lord Archie, The Earl of Dumbarton. However, shortly after his birth, his parents opted for him to not use subsidiary titles or alternate styles “at this time.”
In 1917 King George V issued Letters Patent declaring that the children of the sovereign, the children of any sons of the sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales would be granted the style of HRH.
This meant that going forward – and until 2012 when things were changed – all of the monarch’s children were automatically styled HRH Prince/ss at…
