Just under a week ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle held a christening for their youngest daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who is nearly two, in California.
Princess Lilibet Diana’s Christening In Montecito
The little one was christened Princess Lilibet Diana, alerting the public to the fact that the titles of Prince and Princess have been bestowed upon the young royals, despite the rift between their parents and the British monarchy.
The news was confirmed by People, with a representative of the Duke and Duchess explaining that Meghan and Harry held the small ceremony at their home in Montecito, California. It is understood that none of the high ranking members of the royal family were there—certainly not King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William or Kate Middleton.
The spokesperson only released a short statement, reading, “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
Are Archie and Lilibet Now A Prince and Princess?
Current laws around the naming of Princes and Princesses in the royal family have existed since King George V in 1917. The laws state that the children and grandchildren of a King or Queen are given the His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles, and Prince and Princess titles, along with the eldest great-grandchild in the direct line of succession.
This meant that Prince George was given the title ‘Prince’ at birth, but Queen Elizabeth II changed the rules in 2012 to ensure that Charlotte and Louis would also receive Prince and Princess titles.
When Archie was born, he was not given a Prince title given he is a great-grandchild that is not in the direct line of succession. However, with the passing of the Queen he became a ‘grandchild’ along with Lilibet, and both were eligible for the titles.
In her Oprah interview, Meghan said that Buckingham Palace had not wanted to name Archie as a ‘Prince’.
However, said she didn’t care about the title for title’s sake, it was about security. “All the grandeur around this stuff is not really important to me,” she said. “But in those months when I was pregnant, all around same time: we have in tandem he won’t be given security, a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
While the announcement has been made, Buckingham Palace is yet to update the line of succession on its website. The children are still listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, coming in at 6th and 7th in line for the throne, after their father who is now 5th in line.
People reports that there was only a small group of people (20-30) at Lilibet’s christening, including Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland. It doesn’t appear as though members of the royal family were there are this stage.
