‘Convenient’ timing of Prince Harry’s request for kids’ titles

Details have come to light about exactly when Harry requested his kids become prince and princess – and it was very “conveniently” timed.

Harry and Meghan have confirmed their children will be known as “Prince” and “Princess”.

New details have surfaced about the timing of Prince Harry’s request to the King to have his children confirmed as a prince and a princess.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on Wednesday that their 21-month old daughter had been christened in Los Angeles as “Princess Lilibet”.

Within hours, the official royal website’s line of succession page had been updated to include “Prince Archie of Sussex” and “Princess Lilibet of Sussex”.

As the unexpected news made headlines around the world, a spokesman for Harry and Meghan released a blunt statement.

“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” they said.

“This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”

Harry and Meghan kids will be known as “Prince” and “Princess”. Picture: Netflix

Both Archie, 3, and Lili were entitled to the royal upgrade following the death of the late Queen in September, and according to The Mirror, Charles had no intention of ever withholding the titles – despite ongoing tense relations with his son and daughter-in-law.

However, as a source told the publication, Harry had “conveniently” put the request for the titles in to his father while he was in the UK for his grandmother’s funeral – well before the release of he and Meghan’s Netflix docu-series and his explosive memoir.

In Spare, Harry fired a number of accusations at his family, including claims that his brother pushed him to the ground during a physical altercation, that Kate had been cold toward his wife, and that Charles and Camilla’s offices had deliberately leaked private stories about them to the media.

It’s understood Harry is not currently speaking to Charles and William. Picture: Tim Rooke – Pool/Getty Images

While Charles and Harry’s relationship was already frosty in September following his move to California and 18 months on from his bombshell Oprah Winfrey tell-all interview, it became positively Arctic following the release of the book.

The timing of the King’s decision to evict his son and Meghan from their UK base, Frogmore Cottage, the very next day after it was published speaks volumes, with reports the attacks on Camilla “crossed the line” and proved Charles’ “last straw”.

While title rules set out in 1917 meant that Harry’s kids – as the children of a son of a sovereign – were automatically made prince and princess when Charles became King, there had been speculation prior to the Queen’s death that it may be updated in a bid to reduce the number of key royals.

The change would have required the King to issue a Letters Patent with the amendment.

Way back in March 2021, Meghan herself told Winfrey that the Palace “didn’t want” Archie “to be a prince”.

“How did they explain to you that your son, the great-grandson of the Queen, wasn’t going to be a prince?” Winfrey asked her.

“You certainly must have had some conversations with Harry about it and had your own suspicions as to why they didn’t want to make Archie a prince. Why do you think that is?”

Harry and Meghan spoke to Oprah about the title issue in 2021. Picture: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/AFP

“They didn’t want him to be a prince … which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” Meghan replied.

“We have in tandem the conversation of, ‘He won’t be given security. He’s not going to be given a title.’ And also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

The remark about skin colour sparked massive backlash for the royal family, who have since faced accusations of racism.

However earlier this year, Harry denied that they’d ever made such a suggestion and instead blamed the “British tabloid press” for the furore.

Speaking to Tom Bradby on ITV to promote his memoir, Harry downplayed the significance of Meghan’s “skin” comment.

“In the Oprah interview, you accuse members of your family of racism,” Bradby said, prompting Harry to shake his head in disagreement.

“The British press said that. Did Meghan ever mention they’re racists?” he hit back.