Great Britain might have welcomed a new member to the royal family after Kate Middleton gave birth to a baby boy yesterday morning, but the Monarchy’s latest addition will still technically be a commoner.
Historian Marlene Koenig explained to Town & Country: ‘It sounds complicated, but in the UK, the only people who are not commoners are the Sovereign and peers of the realm, people with titles like Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron.’
As a result, this means the new prince, Prince George and Princess Charlotte will remain commoners until they inevitably become a Duke or Duchess like their parents.
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The new baby’s formal title will be ‘His Royal Highness Prince [Name] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’. Day-to-day, the baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince [Name] of Cambridge. His parents are yet to reveal a name for the newborn.
This also means that Prince Harry is technically a commoner too until his marriage to Meghan Markle on 19 May.
Following the royal wedding, Markle will be referred to as ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales’ and will receive another title along with her husband, depending on Harry’s new nobility rank upon marriage.
When Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011, he was given the hereditary title 'Duke of Cambridge', with Kate subsequently becoming the 'Duchess of Cambridge'.
Therefore, it is believed Prince Harry would receive a similar title, speculated to be the 'Duke of Sussex'.
Confusing, much?
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
