Meghan and Harry's baby may be denied HRH

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Published Jan 17, 2019

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As royal enthusiasts count down the weeks to the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan's first child, speculation is mounting over whether the royal babe will be given an HRH title.

The  Daily Mail reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been given permission by the Queen for their child to be styled as His or Her Royal Highness.

The Royal family's stylings stem from the Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917. The decree stated that the great-grandchildren through the male line of the reigning sovereign would not receive HRHs, with the exception of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (Prince William and Duchess Catherine's first-born, Prince George). 

However, Queen Elizabeth II did step in before Princess Charlotte was born to give her, Prince Louis, and any future siblings the same stylings afforded to George.

Without the Queen's permission, Charlotte and Louis would have been a Lady and a Lord instead.

Harry is currently sixth in line to the throne, and with the arrival of his and Meghan's first-born in April, the succession line will change. The baby will be seventh in the line, pushing Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie down to eighth and ninth.

According to Daily Mail, Meghan and Harry's children's surname will be Mountbatten-Windsor.  If the royal couple has a son, he will be known as the Earl of Dumbarton – the Duke of Sussex’s secondary Scottish title, and if they have a daughter, she will be known Lady Mountbatten-Windsor.

It is unknown whether the Queen will decree them HRH titles, but it's highly unlikely considering how far down the succession line they are.

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