MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry could have given their son the prestigious title of Earl of Dumbarton but they chose not to.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly rejected the title Earl of Dumbarton for Archie because they allegedly feared it would lead to bullying.
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Why did Harry and Meghan reject Earl of Dumbarton title for Archie?
Harry and Meghan have reportedly decided against the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son because it contains the word “dumb.”
The word is slang for “stupid” in the US and they feared it could lead to unfortunate nicknames.
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.”
Prince Harry, 36, was made Earl of Dumbarton after he married Meghan in 2018 and the title of Scottish nobility can be passed to his first-born son, now aged two.
Royal author Phil Dampier accused the couple of simply wanting to “control every aspect of their lives and how they are perceived by the public”.
He told The Celeb Report Online: “Turning down the title because it had the word ‘dumb’ in it shows the fundamental lack of knowledge that Meghan has about royalty and British history.
“When she first became a royal we were told she would take UK citizenship and she would learn all about the UK and its history, but it never happened.
“To reject using it for this reason is dumb itself, you can’t just alter or dismiss ancient titles when it suits you.
“It shows how much Harry and Meghan care about their image and want to control every aspect of their lives and how they are perceived by the public, particularly in the US, where their future lies.”
He added: “It is typical of a Hollywood star, not a royal following tradition, and the way they resort to legal actions at the drop of a hat is reminiscent of film stars, not royals trying to solve a family rift.
“It just proves the Queen was right to decide they couldn’t be half in and half out of the royal family, as they only want to take the bits of monarchy which suit them, not the whole package.”
Who is the Earl of Dumbarton?
The Earl of Dumbarton is a title of Scottish nobility, referring to Dumbarton in the area West Dunbartonshire.
The title was first created in 1675 for Lord George Douglas but became extinct in 1749 when Lord Dumbarton’s only son died.
It was recreated in the UK Peerage by the Queen as one of the two subsidiary titles for her grandson Harry, who became Duke of Sussex when he married Meghan in May 2018.
Does Archie have a title?
Archie does not have a royal title unlike Prince William’s children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Instead he goes by his full name Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
It was previously thought his parents didn’t want him to have a title to allow him to lead a more “normal” life.
However, in their shock interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan revealed they did want him to have a title for security reasons.
She said: “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.”
