Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Don't Want Their Baby to Have a Royal Title

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have royal titles. On the day they were married, Queen Elizabeth gave them the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. When their baby is born in the Spring of 2019, the baby will not automatically have a royal title because of a law made by King George V that limits the titles of members of the royal family.

The law states that titles should be given only to the children (Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis) born of the firstborn (Prince William) of the firstborn (Prince Charles) of a sitting monarch (Queen Elizabeth). Since Prince Harry is the second son, his children will not have the title prince or princess. Queen Elizabeth does have the authority to give the baby a title if she desires to do so. However, the parents do not want their baby to have a royal title.

That means the child can live a more normal life than the cousins. If the children of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex don't have titles, then they won't be obligated to carry out royal duties. It also means they will have to work for a living.

Not having a royal title does not mean that the baby will not be a royal. Because the parents are royals, the child will be a royal with or without a title. ABC royals contributor Victoria Murphy said the child of the Duke and Duchess will break many barriers.

The Duke and Duchess don't want their baby to have a royal title because they want the child to have a normal life as much as possible. The baby will always be in the spotlight because of his parents and because of his mixed race.

The child will be the first biracial baby that is born into the royal family. Royal experts are quick to point out that for centuries the royal family has been made up predominantly of white Europeans. They remind the public that since the baby's father is a royal descendant and his mother is a descendant of slaves on her mother's side, the baby will be the first mixture of those two extremes.

The official announcement of Meghan's pregnancy came from Kensington Palace on October 15, the first day of the royal tour when the parents were in Australia. Meghan was watched during the 16-day tour to four countries. She changed outfits at least three times a day during their 76 scheduled engagements. Her growing baby bump could be seen in many of her outfits as she cradled her stomach.

The baby is due in the Spring of 2019 between March and May. That means the child could be born before the Duke and Duchess celebrate their first wedding anniversary on May 19, 2019. The couple said during their engagement interview last November that they both wanted to start their family right away.

Prince William and Kate Middleton got married on April 29, 2011. Their first child Prince George was born two years later on July 22, 2013.

Even though the Duke and Duchess intend to be hands-on parents, they will not have complete authority over the child, according to a law that was passed in 1717. The Queen of England has legal authority over all her grandchildren even if she does not use that authority.

The law dictates that all minor children are in the custody of Queen Elizabeth, and she can make major decisions involving them. The law was passed when King George was the monarch, and it was never taken off the royal rule book. Since King George did not have a good relationship with his son, he believed he could be a better guardian over his grandchildren.

The law still exists on paper, but it is no guarantee that it is enforced today. Since Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, will be modern-day parents, it is unlikely that the 92-year-old Queen of England will dictate to them how to raise their child especially since the child might not have a title.