Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have already broken with a number of royal expectations for new parents.
Firstly, Archie was not born at the Lindo Wing in St Mary’s Paddington, like Princess Diana and Kate Middleton’s children, and Harry and Meghan refused to have a photo call outside of the maternity ward.
They insisted on a private christening, which the Queen did not attend, and they did not give Archie a title.
Instead of being a Lord, Archie is simply Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
This means that he does not have an HRH title. What does this mean for the little boy’s future?
A lot of royals enjoy the benefits of being ‘working royals’.
They represent the Queen at events in the UK and abroad and in return they are given funds from the money the Queen is paid by the taxpayer.
Often that means these royals don’t work privately although some do.
Will baby Archie have this opportunity?
Royal protocol expert Eliot Wilson told Express.co.uk: “I wouldn’t have thought the Sussex children would have to work privately; I think the money the Sussexes get from the Sovereign Grant and other sources would be sufficient to keep them in a comfortable central London lifestyle.”
So, Harry and Meghan would likely be able to keep Archie and any other children living in luxury with money for Her Majesty.
It also cannot be forgotten that Meghan Markle was worth £3.5 million before she married Harry, and Harry has inherited a huge amount of wealth from his late mother Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.
But Eliot believes the Sussex’s might encourage independent earning. He said: “However, given Harry and Meghan’s determination to give Archie (and any putative brothers or sisters) a “normal” life (private christening, godparents not announced publicly, tight control of photography etc), I would not be at all surprised if they chose the model of Princess Anne’s and Princess Margaret’s children, all of whom have independent careers, rather than those of the Duke of York, whose daughters occupy a rather uncomfortable no-man’s-land between being working royals and private individuals, with (one assumes) considerable financial support from the Duke of York himself.”
Does being without a title prevent Archie from being a working royal?
“The lack of HRH status is not really much of a signifier any more. Princess Anne’s children could have had titles if the Queen had made special arrangements but Anne chose not; the Earl of Wessex’s children have titles but are not HRHs,” Eliot said.
However, Eliot thinks this doesn’t really matter. He said : “But it is, I think, no longer impossible to imagine someone formally being an HRH yet having ‘normal’ job – after all, both William and Harry served in the Armed Forces (as Will Wales and Harry Wales) and had something approaching normal careers until they left to join the working side of the Royal Family full-time.
“As for the spending of royal finances, this is under the control of HM The Queen for the most part (though some parts of the Sovereign Grant can be allotted for specific purposes, such as building restoration): the Government concentrates more on accountability and proper auditing of royal finances than it does on prescriptively of allocation.”
When it comes to titles, Kate Middleton will be Princess of Wales one day, the same title Princess Diana once enjoyed.
Kate was granted Her Royal Highness status when she married into the Royal Family and she became a princess of the United Kingdom.
Although she is usually styled as the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate is also referred to as the Countess of Strathearn when in Scotland and Lady Carrickfergus when in Northern Ireland.
Who is Meghan Markle? Quick profile
Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle, on August 4, 1981 to parents Doria Ragland and father Thomas Markle.
Her father was previously married to Roslyn Loveless and Meghan has two elder half sibling – sister Samantha Markle and brother Thomas Markle Junior.
Actress
Meghan’s first television appearance in the USA was in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002.
She later moved on to roles in CSI, Without a Trace and Castle along with bit parts in Hollywood films including Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.
Meghan was also a “briefcase girl” on Deal or No Deal – but her most famous role was as Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits, which launched in 2011.
She was written out in the finale of the seventh series when her character got married, which aired in April 2018 – just before she got married herself.
Charity and humanitarian work
Meghan Markle’s career in television has gone hand-in-hand with her support for causes close to her heart.
She wrote about the stigma around menstrual health in an article for Time magazine and was a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada – with whom she travelled to Rwanda for the charity’s Clean Water Campaign.
And her commitment to gender equality has seen her work with the United Nations – receiving a standing ovation in 2015 for her speech to mark International Women’s Day.
Relationships
In September 2011, she wed film producer Trevor Engelson, who she began dating in 2004.
But the pair divorced two years later in August 2013, citing irreconcilable difference.
She was in a relationship with celebrity chef Cory Vitiello for almost two years, before they broke it off in 2016 but the two remain good friends.
And in June 2016, she met Prince Harry on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.
Their relationship began in October that year and just over one year later, on November 27, 2017, the pair announced their engagement.
They married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Meghan’s heritage
Some have claimed Meghan Markle is the first mixed-race member of the Royal Family.
Historians are still arguing about Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.
But Meghan will be the first royal to openly embrace a mixed-race heritage.
She has written about the difficulties of being a biracial actress in Hollywood as she claims she is not black enough for some roles and not white enough for others.