The highly-anticipated Oprah interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aired in the UK on Monday night with a number of shocking claims made about the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a series of claims, accusing an unnamed royal of racism, suggesting the family were jealous of Meghan and revealing that she contemplated taking her own life while pregnant.
Prince Harry also revealed the full extent of his fractured relationship with his father the Prince of Wales.
Among a number of bombshell moments Meghan Markle suggested she and Harry wanted Archie to be a prince so he would have security and be protected.
The duchess expressed her shock at “the idea of our son not being safe”, and the idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way as other grandchildren.
But Archie, who is seventh in line to the throne, is not entitled to be an HRH or a prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V.
Meghan expressed concern over the idea of her family “not being safe” claiming the decision not to make Archie Mountbatten Windsor a prince goes against convention.
Prince Harry also revealed his shock at the loss of security protection.
Harry said he “never thought” he would have his security detail removed upon deciding to step back from royal duties.
He said: “I was born into this position. I inherited the risk. So that was a shock to me.”
The Duchess of Sussex shared her thoughts on the "idea of the first member of colour in this family, not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be".
She said: “It’s not right to take it away.”
Should Archie be a prince?
The decision to not make Archie a prince relates to rules set out by King George V over 100 years ago.
While the Queen remains on the throne, Archie is too far removed from the throne to be a prince due to the size of the Queen’s extended family and long reign.
According to a Letters Patent issued by Harry’s great-great-grandfather in 1917, Archie would be entitled to be named a prince when Prince Charles sits on the throne and Archie becomes a direct grandchild of the monarch.
It is not yet clear if this will be the case when the Prince of Wales sits on the throne.
King George V’s patent read: "...the grandchildren of the sons of any such sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of these our realms."
According to this rule, only Prince George, great-grandson of the monarch and in the direct line of succession to the throne, is entitled to be a prince.
The line of succession can be seen in the image below.
However, the Queen issued a Letters Patent ahead of Prince George’s birth to ensure all of the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton would hold such titles.
Had it not been for the Queen, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would not have been HRHs and would have been titled Lady and Lord.
The key difference is that children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are children of the future monarch whereas Archie will not.
What title will Archie hold?
As first son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie will eventually be entitled to take over his father’s title of the Duke of Sussex.
As first born of Harry, a Duke, Archi could have become Earl of Dumbarton, one of Harry’s other titles or Lord Archie.
However, Harry has stressed his eagerness to give his sone the opportunity of an ordinary life, away from the Royal Family, an opportunity he never had.
When Archie was born, a royal source said that Prince Harry and Meghan had decided to give their son the regular title of Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
Meghan opposed this in her interview with Oprah saying: "It was not our decision to make."
When asked if Archie being a prince was important to her, Meghan replied: "If it meant he was going to be safe then of course."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article