The Queen's death will signal a daunting change for Archie and Lilibet

The Queen's death will signal a daunting change for her youngest great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet because of a bizarre royal protocol

Queen's death signals a daunting change
(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen's death will signal a daunting change for many members of the royal family, but a strange royal tradition could mean Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children earn a new place in the royal spotlight.


Although the Queen has yet to meet Archie and Lilibet in person—as the young royals currently live in California with their parents at their $14 million Santa Barbara mansion—the monarch's death could have a huge impact on the youngsters' life.

This is because when the Queen dies, as the next in the royal line of succession, Prince Charles will become King. As the King and the grandfather to Archie and Lilibet, an old royal protocol dictates that the children will be given HRH titles.

A spokesperson for Debrett’s revealed to the Mirror, "In 1917, King George V ordered that only the grandchildren of the monarch would be entitled to use the style of prince or princess and HRH, the only exception to this order was that the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would also be entitled to use the style HRH and Prince."

This means that even though the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry have opted against royal titles for their children, they may still be forced to have a title.

While Prince William's children already have HRH titles are known by their royal titles of Prince or Princess, Archie and Lilibet are simply known by their surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

It was previously revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned down this royal title for Archie, because they feared that their son would be bullied and they wished for him to have as much normality in his life as possible. But Archie and Lilibet won't be the ones to experience a title change.

Prince Charles may not be King Charles III when he becomes King, as another strange royal protocol allows him to change his title as well once the Queen has passed. 

Similarly, Prince William will face a 'bittersweet moment' when Kate Middleton receives a new royal title when Prince Charles is King as she takes on Princess Diana's old title. It appears that once the Queen passes there will be a huge upheaval for many members of the royal family. 

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.