In just a few short weeks, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will give birth to their first child! The entire world is anxiously awaiting to see what the gender will be, what name Harry and Meg will give it, and if it will have Harry's trademark ginger hair.
But here's some bummer news: Regardless of whether the baby is a boy or a girl, he or she won't have a "prince" or "princess" title. Seems a little ridic, but there's a very legit reason.
Way back when Prince George V was in charge (around 1917), he limited the number of family members who could have a royal title, according to the Daily Mail. As in, he was pretty much like "Sorry guys, not everyone gets to be as cool as me," which is rude, but maybe fair? Here's what he said about it back then:
"The grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms."
If you're a li'l rusty on your old school British slang, the above excerpt means that because Prince Harry is the second son of the current Prince of Wales, his children are not guaranteed the title of prince or princess. Harry's kids will be too far down the line of succession to be His or Her Royal Highness by birth.
Because Queen Elizabeth is the GOAT and can basically do whatever she wants, she could step in to give Harry's offspring a fancy title. But given her habit of sticking with tradition, that's not very likely.
So, What Will Their Titles Be?
If Harry and Meghan have a son first, he could earn the title Earl of Dumbarton, and if they have a girl, she could be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor. If the couple does have a girl first, then any sons that come after would probably be Lord (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
Again, Queen Elizabeth could step in and change this if she wanted. TBD! But all that said, a source just told Us Weekly that Meghan and Harry aren't about that title life, as part of their efforts to “live their lives quietly.” The source said they don't plan to give their bb an official title at all.
Either way, Mountbatten-Windsor is definitely not the worst "last name" a kid can have.