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Prince Harry and Meghan reject royal title for baby Archie in hopes of greater chance of a 'normal life'

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby Archie. (Photo: Getty/Gallo Images)
Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby Archie. (Photo: Getty/Gallo Images)

Cape Town - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently introduced their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world – but unlike his royal cousins, the baby won’t have a royal title.

Baby Archie, who made his debut appearance in public on Wednesday 8 May, was reportedly supposed to take on his father's Earldom, but his royal parents have chosen not to give him a "courtesy title", People reports.

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"This is just their attitude that they want a normal life for their children," said Marlene Koenig, an author and expert on British and European royalty.

Although many royal fans expected the newborn blue blood to become a prince, royal commentator Victoria Arbiter revealed that he's actually not eligible for the title.

"In this instance, the baby wasn't eligible for a princely title due to the 1917 Letters Patent," Victoria told Fox News.

"I think most people were expecting the baby to take on the title of Earl, but Harry and Meghan have chosen to forego all titles in an effort to give their child as normal of a life as possible.

"He's eligible legally to become an Earl, but they've chosen not to use that."

It's also likely that little Archie, who’s currently seventh in line to the throne, will never have to attend royal engagements, duties or patronages, Time reports.

"The queen might not like it, but she's pretty fair about what her family wants to do," Koenig said.

"She understands that [Harry and Meghan] will want to have a much more normal life."

As has been reported in the past, this isn't the first time Harry and Meghan have chosen to keep things private, Vanity Fair reports.

In April, the pair announced they’d be keeping their birthing plan a secret.

"Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private," the royal couple said in a statement.

"The duke and duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they've had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family."

Sources: People, Fox News, Vanity Fair 


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