Meghan Markle says royal family ‘didn’t want’ son Archie to be a prince
Two-hour special aired on Sunday
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Your support makes all the difference.Meghan Markle says the royal family didn’t want her son Archie to be a prince - despite previous claims that it was a decision made to allow the child to enjoy a ‘normal’ life.
The duchess was asked by Oprah Winfrey during the two-hour TV special: “How did they explain to you that your son, the great grandson of the Queen, wasn’t going to be a prince? You certainly must have had some conversations with Harry about it, and have your own suspicions as to why they didn’t want to make Archie a prince. Why do you think that is?”
At the time, it was reported that the duke and duchess had decided for Archie not to have a royal title, which is bestowed by the Queen, because they wanted him to have a “normal” life.
However, according to Meghan, it was actually decided by the royal family that Archie would not have a title, nor would he have security.
“They were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” Meghan said. “This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I was going, hold on for a second.”
Read more: Follow Harry and Meghan Oprah interview live: Latest news and updates
The duchess then told Winfrey that she was told Archie would not receive security because he’s “not going to be a prince,” a decision that she and Prince Harry said they did not make.
“Okay, well, he needs to be safe so we’re not saying don’t make him a prince or princess, but if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect that protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder you’ve allowed that to happen which means our son needs to be safe,” she said.
During the interview, Meghan said she was not given a good explanation for the reasoning, but that she would have accepted a title for Archie if it “meant he was going to be safe”.
She said: “And it’s not our decision to make. Even though I have a lot of clarity of what comes with the titles good and bad...that is their birthright to then make a choice about,” adding that it was upsetting that Archie was not receiving a title, especially as the only person of colour in his family.
According to Meghan, the decision for Archie not to have a title nor security was made in tandem with “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born”.
Despite not having a title, Archie is currently seventh in line to the throne, one place behind his father, Prince Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne.
Additionally, the couple have since given up their own royal HRH titles per the agreements of their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. They have, however, kept the titles bestowed on them by the Queen on their wedding day.
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