PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle told the Royal Family they didn’t want Archie to be a prince before complaining he hadn’t been given the title during their tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey, it’s been claimed.
The Sussexes “never raised an issue” about their son not being made a prince with the Palace – but then brought it up during the bombshell interview in March, sources say.
– Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
An insider confirmed to the Telegraph that the couple “didn’t want any titles for their children” and had told the Royal Family so – but went to moan to Oprah about their son’s lack of title, leaving royal watchers “baffled”.
Another source told the outlet that Meghan and Harry “never raised an issue” and that the Duke of Sussex had been “adamant” that Archie “should be raised without titles like his cousins Peter and Zara Phillips”.
Before their interview with Oprah, it was thought his parents didn’t want him to have a title to allow him to lead a more “normal” life.
But in their shock interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan hinted otherwise and discussed the reason Archie was not made a prince when he was born.
She claimed there were conversations surrounding his title alongside concerns about how dark his skin might be, telling Oprah: “All the grandeur around this stuff is not really important to me.
“But in those months when I was pregnant, all around same time: we have in tandem he won’t be given security, a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
Fresh claims also allege Meghan and Harry rejected an Earl title for Archie because it contained the word “dumb”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided against the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son because they allegedly feared it would attract unfortunate nicknames.
The couple are currently living in the US, where the word dumb is commonly used as slang for stupid.
A source told The Telegraph: “They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word ‘dumb’ [and] they were worried about how that might look.”
Another insider added: “It wasn’t just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry.”
Unlike Prince William’s children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – Archie doesn’t have any royal title.
Instead he goes by his full name Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Sources also suggested to the Telegraph that Harry “feared” when his dad became king, he would change the George V convention which automatically makes the grandchildren of a monarch a prince or princess.
It has since been reported that Prince Charles plans to slim down the monarchy – tweaking the rules to ensure his grandson Archie is never given the title of Prince.
He believes the public no longer wishes to pay for a growing monarchy, and has told senior Royals he wants to cut down on working members of the family.
