It’s a boy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex! But no Royal Title (at least for now)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with Sir Peter and Lady Cosgrove at the Admiralty House in Sydney in 2018. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was safely delivered of a son at 5.26 AM (local time), Buckingham Palace announced.  The baby weighs 7lbs 3oz.

The Duke of Sussex was present for the birth. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer were informed of the birth and were delighted with the news.

“The Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, who is overjoyed by the arrival of her first grandchild, is with Their Royal Highnesses at Frogmore Cottage,” the announcement said.

Prince Harry is overjoyed!


In a video shared on the Sussex Instagram handle, Prince Harry could not contain his excitement over the birth of his first child. He said he was “just over the moon” on the birth “this little thing,” which he said is “absolutely to die for.”

Prince Harry also aired his feelings for his wife: “I’m so incredibly proud of my wife,” he said. “It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension.”

The Duke of Sussex also thanked the public for support during his wife’s pregnancy. “We’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful to all the love and support from everybody out there.”

The birth came almost a year after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The baby boy is the couple’s first born. He is also the fourth grandchild of Prince Charles and The Queen’s eigth great-grandchild following the Prince Louis of Cambridge, who was born April 23 last year.

No Royal Title for the Baby


It is expected that the baby will carry the title Earl of Dumbarton, the Duke’s subsidiary title. Unless The Queen steps in, he cannot be styled HRH until Prince Charles becomes King. The use of HRH and Prince/Princess has long been established by The Queen's grandfather. In 1917, King George V issued a letters patent that limited the use of HRH and Prince/Princess only to the children of the sovereign, the sovereign’s male-line grandchildren and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son. Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent on December 31, 2012 declaring that all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children will bear HRH and be styled Princes and Princesses.

Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

A few days after giving birth, the baby was introduced to The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle. Doria Ragland was also present. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also announced that they have named their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The couple once again broke with tradition as no royal babies in the past were named either Archie and Harrison. Also, rather than having their son addressed as Earl of Dumbarton, the duke's subsidiary title, the couple decided that he should simply be called Master Archie.