The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have today announced the birth of a baby boy but it may not hold the title of prince or princess.
Even though Meghan and Harry's child will be seventh in line to the throne, it will only hold the title of prince if the Queen intervenes.
This is because King George V limited titles within the royal family in 1917 when he stated: "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."
This means that Baby Sussex, as a great-grandchild to the sovereign, will be too far down the lineage to be granted a HRH title. Instead, a baby boy will likely hold the title of the Earl of Dumbarton - one of the subsidiary titles given to Harry by the Queen on the morning of his wedding.
If the baby had been a girl it would have been Lady (name) Mountbatten-Windsor and any subsequent sons would be Lord (name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
However, Harry and Meghan's baby could still be a prince if the Queen decides to issue a Letters Patent as she did before the birth of Prince George.
This allowed all the Cambridge children to be HRH as before only Prince George, the eldest child, would have been a HRH while Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would have been a Lady and Lord.
The Queen may decide to do the same for Prince Harry's child. This would make them a prince or princess, as when Charles reigns, Harry's children will be the children of the sovereign's son.
Yet, Harry may choose to forgo the HRH title to give the baby a 'more normal' life, something Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall has previously said she is grateful for. Tindall stated: "I've been very lucky. My parents didn't give us titles, so we've been able to have a slightly more normal upbringing. As soon as you've got a title, it's very difficult to shed it."
The Earl and Countess of Wessex's children Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn are actually entitled to be a princess and prince as children of the son of the sovereign, but the couple decided, with the Queen's agreement, that their children would use the courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an earl rather than the style prince or princess.
An example of a royal duke handing down a courtesy title to his son is the Queen's cousin the Duke of Gloucester when his son Alexander was born in 1974. Alex is known by the duke's subsidiary title Earl of Ulster, while the duke's daughters, before their marriages, were Lady Davina Windsor, and Lady Rose Windsor.
Earl of Ulster's own son Xan - the duke's grandchild - is Lord Culleden - taken from the duke's third title Baron Culleden.
If Harry's son has a son - Harry's grandchild - he would be Lord Kilkeel, taken from Harry's third title Baron Kilkeel.
