Titles of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children officially updated

Prince Harry and Meghan Markel’s children, Archie and Lilibet, have officially been recognized as a prince and princess by the King.

When did the changes take place?

The change to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s names took place early on Thursday morning. They are now shown as the sixth and seventh in line to the throne on the royal website.

“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote in a statement.

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

Prior to the change, the children were referred to as ‘master’ and ‘miss’ Mountbatten-Windsor on the Buckingham Palace website. Following the update, they are now ‘Prince Archie of Sussex’ and ‘Princess Lilibet of Sussex’.

Although the Sussexes stated that the matter had been “settled for some time”, an insider questioned the timing of the decision.

“The Duke and Duchess made it clear they wanted to use the titles for their children, as convention dictates,” the source told Page Six.

“After the Queen died, updates were made to the royal website and despite their birthright, Archie and Lilibet were not given their titles.

“If the titles had just been updated, along with everyone else, there would be no story.”

The outlet goes on to state that palace officials made the first move in offering to change the website last week, with the insider adding: “It begs the question, why now? This all happened at the end of last year, the timing is strange.”

King Charles didn’t block the change

Lilibet’s royal title of ‘princess’ was used for the the first time on Wednesday following news she had been christened in California.

It’s believed the Sussexes were frustrated that Buckingham Palace had failed to recognize Archie and Lilibeth’s titles after the Queen’s passing, while the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children, had their titles changed after Charles took the throne.

The fact Charles didn’t block the change is seen as a peaceful overture given the Sussexes were worried the children wouldn’t be prince or princess, but sources say the King never considered punishing his grandchildren.

It remains to be seen how the recent news will impact whether Prince Harry and Meghan attend Charles’ coronation in May after they were officially invited.

“I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation,” the pair’s spokesperson confirmed.

“An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.”