Meghan Markle surprised many when she dropped her HRH title on her daughter Lilibet Diana’s birth certificate. However, her husband Prince Harry kept his on the document.
A photo of the birth certificate that was obtained by TMZ revealed that Meghan used her birth name, Rachel Meghan Markle, instead of her royal title. Meanwhile, Harry listed “The Duke of Sussex” as his first name as “His Royal Highness” as his last name on the birth certificate.
When Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals last year, Buckingham Palace announced in a statement they would no longer use the “HRH” title, which refers to “his/her royal highness.”
“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family,” the palace announced, according to Fox News.
It should be noted that Harry is still recognized as a prince and a direct grandson of the queen, and he did not renounce, nor was he stripped of the title. Instead, he has agreed simply not to use it. The term “working members” of the royal family refers to those carrying out royal duties, such as Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Charles.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan told Insider that the title “His Royal Highness” is still legally part of Harry’s name, which is why he was required to put it in the birth certificate.
“It’s his legal name – the document required his legal name,” the spokesperson explained.
Lilibet Diana was born on June 6 and was named after Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.
“Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home,” Meghan and Harry said in a statement. “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
“This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” they added. “The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.”
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.