One of the biggest revelations to come out of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexโs widely publicized interview with Oprah was that, in addition to concerns being raised about the skin color of coupleโs firstborn son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, he was denied the title of prince by Buckingham Palace. But new reports claim that well ahead of Archieโs birth, the couple turned down another title that was just, well, kinda dumb-sounding.
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โThey didnโt want him to be a prince or a princess, which would be different from protocol,โ Meghan told Oprah (h/t Marie Claire), adding: โThis went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where Iโm going, โHold on a second. How does that work?โฆIf heโs not gonna be a prince, he needs to be safe.โ
โAll around this same time, we had in tandem the conversation of he wonโt be given security, heโs not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when heโs born,โ she concluded. (As the couple subsequently stepped down as senior royals, Harryโs monarchy-funded security detail was pulled, as well.)
At the time, the palace countered that the denial was, in fact, in accordance with royal protocol since the reign of Queen Elizabeth IIโs grandfather King George V, which stipulates that only those directly in the line of succession to the throne receive the titles [of] prince or princess. Accordingly, Archie and newborn sister Lilibet Diana wouldnโt be eligible until their grandfather Prince Charles ascends to the throneโsomething numerousย reports last week claim he reportedly has no intention of doing.
However, there was reportedly another title for Archie the couple preemptively declined. Ahead of their 2018 wedding, the queen granted Harry a Scottish earldom to bestow upon his firstborn sonโthe Earl of Dumbarton.
โThey didnโt like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word โdumbโ [and] they were worried about how that might look,โ a royal source told British outlet the Telegraph.
โIt wasnโt just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry,โ another source explained.
Apparently, the two were justified in their concern. After Archie was compared to a chimpanzee just days after his birth, since the reports of the rejected title surfaced, the Sussexes have once again become targets of derision, according to Page Six.
Even the newscasters on BBC Radio 4โs usually straight-laced โTodayโ show could not hide their laughter while reporting the news โ with one, Nick Robinson, ending it by quipping, โDumb and dumber.โ
The title of the 1994 Jim Carrey movie quickly spread online, too, with many others joking that the right-on pair should have named their son โthe Earl of Wokingham.โ
โWhat an insult to Dumbarton,โ [Twitter user] Sue Sutton-Smythe complained, while others shared history of the Scottish town as well as its earldom, which was first created in March 1675.
A spokesperson for the couple declined to issue a comment to the Telegraph regarding this latest round of revelations. But in other news, questions and criticism about who funded their time living in Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle can finally be put to rest.
The couple was living in the residence when they welcomed Archie in May of 2019, and had extensive renovations done before deciding to step down as senior royals and make a life in the United States. The Root was among many outlets that reported the couple reimbursed the renovation costs in in September 2020 as they sought to become financially independent. However, a new report from People magazine clarifies that the $3.3 million payment not only paid off the cost of the upgrades but pre-paid rent through the remainder of their initially expected tenure, which is March 31, 2022. (This, despite the fact that Prince Andrewโs daughter Princess Beatrice and her family have since moved into the premises.)
As People further reported, the Sussexes not only resolved the debt, but may be owed a debt of gratitude for helping to pad the royal coffers during the economic downturn of the past year:
โThe payment covers all their current obligations,โ Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, confirmed to reporters Wednesday at the launch of an annual report into the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant that finances the royal familyโs public duties.
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โIt should also be remembered also that this payment has come in the current year at a time where our supplementary income has reduced dramatically,โ he continued in reference to the 53% fall in tourism-related finances experienced by the royal household as a result of the COVID pandemic. โ[Harry and Meghanโs payment] has helped to offset the reduction that we would have seen.โ
Updated: Friday, 6/25/21 at 9:25 a.m., ET: A Friday morning report pushes back on widespread speculation that Prince Charles will deny Harryโs children their due titles once ascending to the throne. According to People magazine, royal historian Robert Lacey (Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult) โbelieves Charles will defer to tradition, which dictates that prince or princess titles are automatically granted to all his grandchildren when he ascends to the throne.โ
โI donโt think he will make the unpopular and hostile move of removing the royal status of his grandchildren,โ Lacey told the outlet. If that turns out to be the case, the decision will rest will Harry and Meghan as to whether they still regard the titles as significant, or would now prefer their children to live their lives as civilians.
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