LONDON — King Charles III may have indicated a desire to slim down the British monarchy, but two additional family members are now using their royal titles: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Their titles were updated on the Royal Family website on Thursday, noting that “Prince Archie of Sussex” is sixth in line to the throne, and “Princess Lilibet of Sussex” is seventh. Previously, the children had been referred to on the site as “Master” and “Miss.”
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made public that they would be claiming the titles for their children when they announced that Lilibet, who turns 2 in June, was christened last week in California.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes said in an email Wednesday: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor.” Taylor is a bishop in the Episcopal Church.
It was not clear whether any family attended from across the pond — a sign, perhaps, that reconciliation is not yet underway in Harry and Meghan’s strained relationship with the royals back in Britain.
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Some Harry and Meghan fans came to their defense by circulating a video clip on Twitter of American actor Tyler Perry saying that he had accepted the role of Lilibet’s godfather, but with the suggestion that they “do a private ceremony here,” rather than something with more pomp (and presumably more relatives) in Britain.
Archie and Lilibet were too low in the line of succession when they were born to be prince and princess. But they gained the right to be styled that way — and use the title “HRH,” for his or her royal highness — when their grandfather, Charles, became king in September.
The rule goes back to King George V, who in 1917 — when trying to shrink the size of the monarchy — limited the titles to the children of the sovereign, children of sons of the sovereign and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.
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Not everyone entitled to royal titles has elected to claim them. The children of Prince Edward, the king’s younger brother, have so far declined to use their princely titles. The children of the king’s sister, Princess Anne, did not inherit equivalent titles from birth, but she declined an offer from her mother to remedy that. Anne told Vanity Fair, “I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles.”
Queen Elizabeth II tweaked the rules in 2012 to extend titles to all the children of Prince William.
Charles has yet to offer any of his own amendments.
This story has been updated.
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