Weird reality of royal life for Harry and Meghan’s baby

Baby Sussex is already one of the world's most famous people. Life’s going to get pretty strange for this new “minor royal”.

Baby Sussex is already one of the most famous people in the world.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first child will undoubtedly live a life of staggering wealth and privilege — just like his cousins, Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 3, and Prince Louis, 1.

RELATED: Meghan has a baby boy

RELATED: Prince Harry beams after birth of son

RELATED: Meghan’s mum arrives in London

RELATED: Everything we know about Baby Sussex

Royal baby watch is in full swing. Picture: Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

But that’s where the major similarities end.

Baby Sussex’s life will be very different to those of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s kids.

Here’s why:

NON-WORKING ROYAL

It’s not hard to see the public roles played by princes William and Harry are vastly different to that of their royal cousins, such as princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Zara and Peter Phillips.

Last year, Eugenie admitted how tough it can be in their unique limbo as “minor royals”.

They’re close to the throne — but not close enough for full-time jobs with the Queen. Eugenie works for a London art gallery, while Beatrice is said to be employed by a US-based technology company. 

“There is no precedent, there is no protocol,” Eugenie told Vogue in 2018. “We are the first: we are young women trying to build careers and have personal lives, and we’re also princesses and doing all of this in the public eye.”

The princesses have both had a number of non-royal jobs. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

And it’s likely to be the position Harry and Meghan’s baby finds himself in when Prince Charles becomes king.

With a grandparent on the throne, and a spot on the succession ladder (albeit far down), his or her life will undeniably be in the public eye... but they may be required to get an actual job.

What remains to be seen is the knock-on effect of the world’s extraordinary fascination with Harry and Meghan — and how their child copes with the glare of that spotlight.

Harry and Meghan have an incredibly high profile globally. Picture: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meanwhile, Prince Charles has made it very clear he wants to create a more streamlined monarchy — and was very supportive of his mother’s decision to create the Sovereign Grant, which trimmed down the number of royal family members receiving taxpayer funds.

It could prove a double-edged sword. While Beatrice and Eugenie have spoken of the difficulty of their positions, they’ve also been able to avoid a lot of the pressures placed on their high-profile cousins throughout their lives.

As royal commentator Victoria Murphy told The Sun: “There’s no chance (Harry and Meghan’s baby) will ever be king — this baby has so much more freedom than William and Kate’s children do.”

She added they “will not be expected when they get older to carry out full-time royal duties”, meaning they can potentially “carve their own path”.

Meanwhile, George, Charlotte and Louis will undoubtedly be expected to work as full-time royals throughout their lives.

As close heirs to the throne, George and Charlotte will have full-time royal duties. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

SOCIAL MEDIA

Meghan may have had to delete her personal social media accounts when she became engaged to Harry, but the same restriction is unlikely to be imposed on her child.

That’s one of the bonuses of being in Eugenie and Beatrice’s positions — both have their own Instagram accounts.

Princess Beatrice has a private Instagram account.

ROYAL TITLE

Unlike his cousins, the newest little royal won’t automatically be born into a title despite Harry’s “prince” status.

According to King George V’s 1917 decree, only the oldest son of the Prince of Wales’ oldest son (so Prince George) was entitled to be called his royal highness (HRH) and a prince.

In late 2012, the Queen amended the rule, declaring all of Prince William and Kate’s children would be titled HRH and either prince or princess.

The Queen changed the rules for Princess Charlotte. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

At that time, the ruling didn’t apply to any of Prince Harry’s children — so unless a change is made, his son will be styled as Lord Mountbatten-Windsor.

And it’s unlikely the Queen will bend the rule again for Harry and Meghan, according to experts. 

Harry has indicated he wants his children to have as normal lives as possible — and skipping the HRH would certainly help.

CHILDHOOD HOME

While growing up in a luxurious 10-bedroom cottage could hardly be considered slumming it — it’s still not quite palace living.

Meghan and Harry recently quit the big city and the fishbowl that is Kensington Palace in favour of a quieter life in Windsor, leaving behind former neighbours William, Kate and the little princes and princess.

The Sussexes chose to branch out on their own, away from all the royal residences in the capital, so their child may have a relatively low-key upbringing - a far cry from Prince Harry’s experience.

Meghan and Harry have moved out of London. Picture: EPA/Andy Rain