King Charles III's decision whether to grant or revoke royal titles for his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor could prove to be a "time bomb" for the royals should they decide to speak publicly about it in the future, according to Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast.
Chief royal correspondent Jack Royston and royal commentator Kristen Meinzer discussed the possible fallout, should Charles decide to revoke the titles of prince and princess that Archie and Lilibet became entitled to on the accession of their grandfather.
They advised the monarch to "play the long game" and to "think about the fact that these two kids are going to be adults one day."
The pair discussed the question of the titles following this month's interview given by Meghan to Variety about her involvement in the entertainment industry. She said that she and Prince Harry would be supportive of their children's choices, should they decide to enter the industry themselves one day.
"I would say, Great!'" Meghan told interviewer Matt Donnelly when asked her response if Archie or Lilibet came to her and said: 'I want a career in entertainment.'
"When you become a parent," she added, "you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy. They're our kids, obviously, and they're part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations. But I want them to be able to carve out their own path.
"If it's the entertainment industry, great. And, also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about what opened the door for my children. But it still takes talent and a lot of grit. We're creating multidimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That's who our kids are."
If Archie and Lilibet one day became public figures, it may prove difficult for the royals, particularly if they have their titles withheld, Royston notes.
The children of Harry and Meghan were not automatically given the titles of HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) prince and princess because of a convention enacted by King George V during the days of World War I to reduce the number of minor royal relations who called themselves princes or princesses of the United Kingdom.
George stated that only children and grandchildren (of the male line) of the monarch could be styled HRH prince or princess. An exception was made for the "eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales" as a direct heir to the throne.
When they were born, Archie and Lilibet were the great-grandchildren of the ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. However, when she died on September 8 and Charles came to the throne, they became the grandchildren of the king, and therefore eligible to use their new titles.
Since then, though, the children's titles have not been updated on the royal family's website, and Buckingham Palace has not commented on the status of any decision regarding them.
It is within Charles' power to remove the titles, which some have speculated he may do to "slim down" the monarchy, or in response to any negative revelations made by Harry in his upcoming memoir or media projects.
"Meghan said that she would be happy for Archie and Lili to go into the entertainment industry and potentially become actors themselves," Royston told Meinzer on The Royal Report.
"That got me thinking forward to 20 years in a future that's hard to see in this moment—especially for the royals—like, you could have Archie or Lili sat on the sofa of some big celebrity interviewer talking about the royal family and if that's going to happen, then Charles might want to think about whether actually he should just given them the titles.
"Can you imagine 20 years from now," Royston said, "Archie or Lili giving interviews that they were stripped of the titles they had a birth right to because of racism? This could be a time bomb for round about the time that William could be taking over as the new king. That would be a mega interview even then."
The issue of racism and the title dispute was raised by Meghan during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
After discussing her own experiences with racism since joining the royal family, Meghan was asked by Winfrey if she believed the reason why her son wasn't made a prince from birth, which was within the monarch's power, was racially motivated.
The duchess said: "I can give you an honest answer. In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time... we have in tandem the conversation of 'he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
In response, Buckingham Palace called the issues raised in the interview concerning and said they would be treated "very seriously," while highlighting that recollections of the events "may vary."
Royston expressed the view that the king should make a decision about the titles with the "long game" in mind.
"If Charles thinks he can style out not giving those titles on the basis that maybe there's something critical in a Netflix show or a memoir, that is going to be lost to the sands of time by the time that Archie and Lili are celebrities," he said.
"I think that he needs to seriously listen to what Meghan has said here and play the long game and think about the fact that these two kids are going to be adults one day."
Meinzer agreed, adding: "Just give them the titles now. They are going to be famous whether you like it or not, whether or not they choose to work in the entertainment industry the same way their mom did, whether they choose to be philanthropists. They are going to be famous whether Charles likes it or not, so take care of it now."
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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