Why Will Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's Son Archie Harrison Be Called 'Master'?

When Archie Harrison was born on May 6, many fans of the British royal family likely expected to hear a royal title. However, aside from being a non-traditional name, baby Archie also does not have an official label. While this may seem odd to some as his father and grandfather are princes and his great-grandmother is the Queen, there is a specific reason why he will instead be referred to as Master Archie.

According to Express, the reason why Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's firstborn son will not have an official title links back to a proclamation that was issued by King George V in 1917. This decree stated that only a limited number of royal family members could have a royal title.

"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," read the announcement.

According to Cosmo, this essentially means that the titles of prince and princess can only be used by certain people, but since Archie is the second son of Prince Charles, his children are not "guaranteed" the prince or princess title.

Additionally, Archie's cousin, Princess Charlotte, was able to obtain her title even though she is not the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. This is because in 2013, Queen Elizabeth II issued a "letters patent that which removed the first-kid-only decree."

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Since Archie was Harry's firstborn, he was eligible to obtain the title of Earl of Dumbarton. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted to forgo the title seemingly because they are attempting to give Archie a sense of everyday normalcy.

During an episode of her podcast, royal reporter Emily Andrews stated that in order for Archie to gain a title the Queen would have had to issue a new letters patent. Since she hasn't, Andrews said we can be "pretty sure that they're not going to be HRH."

Currently, Master Archie is seventh-in-line to the throne.