Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children have been named prince and princess on the Royal Family website - and we asked Mirror readers what they thought of the news.
The young royals are now listed as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on the official webpage, with Harry and Meghan calling it their “birthright”.
It comes after the couple announced the christening of their one-year-old daughter last month, in a statement that called her by the royal title.
This marked the first time Lilibet has been publicly called a princess and confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will use royal styles for their children.
They became entitled to the status when King Charles III acceded to the throne - those born into senior positions of the Royal Family are automatically given titles.
It was unclear whether the children would receive titles due to the strained relationship between Harry and Meghan and the Royal Family, which was exacerbated by Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare.
The couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, raising further questions about the children’s royal status.
Harry and Meghan are understood to want their children to decide for themselves whether or not to use their titles when they are older.
We asked Mirror readers if they think Harry and Meghan are right to use Archie and Lilibet’s titles, and 88 percent said ‘No’.
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A total of 13,069 people voted in our poll, and around 11,546 selected the option ‘No - They aren’t working royals’.
Voters shared their opinions in the comments, with one person writing: “No they should not. Charles has said for years he plans on slimming down the monarchy. HRH and Prince & Princess titles should be given to the children of The Prince & Princess of Wales. HRH’s and Prince & Princess must be permanently domiciled in the UK to be in the LOS. By age 18, (HRH) children should be carrying out official public duties on behalf of the Monarch.”
A second added: “What on earth do two such young children need titles for? Especially since their parents do not carry out any royal duties. It would have made more sense to leave it for a few years and at 18, maybe, it could be decided then.”
“One reason they wanted to leave the UK as working royals was to bring their kids up in a normal way, and away from any pressures of royalty. Surely going through school and life as a Prince and Princess will put enormous pressure on them as they will not be looked upon as normal anymore,” penned a third.
Meanwhile, 10 percent of respondents selected the option ‘Yes - It is their birthright’, and backed up their reasoning in the comments.
One supporter shared: “It was their birthright. They can decide if they will use the titles when they get older. Anything their parents have done is not them. If Prince William's kids have titles then so should Prince Harry's. Just because Harry has said enough is enough it should not impact the kids.”
Another echoed: “Well it’s not the kids fault they never asked to be born. They should be allowed to use princess and prince if that’s the rules. But Harry and Megan should be stripped of any titles.”
“Yes, why not? Even if you disagree with Harry and Meghan, the children are innocent,” added a third.
Only two percent of respondents selected the option “Other”.
Do YOU agree with the poll results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
