By Ashley Young-
Prince Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet has been added to the Royal Family’s line of succession on the official website- 7 weeks after she seven weeks after Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California on June 4.
Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor has been listed eighth in line to the throne on royal.uk. Her position was placed after her big brother Archie who is the Sussexes’ first child.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey in March that the royal family had told the couple that Archie would not be given a title, citing race as the suspected reason. But it was later said that a change announced before Prince Harry met Meghan Markle had meant their children couldn’t be given a title.
Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet has been added to the Royal Family’s line of succession on the official website.
Her addition to the list comes seven weeks after Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California on June 4. Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor has been listed eighth in line to the throne on royal.uk.
Harry and Meghan’s friend Omid Scobie, the Harper’s Bazaar US royal editor, tweeted on Monday: “The line of succession on the @RoyalFamily website has just been updated to include the Sussexes’ second child: Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne. She was born on June 4.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Royal Family website is “updated periodically”.
Lili’s absence from the list before then made headlines amid reports of Meghan and Harry’s strained relationship with the British royals and raised the question of whether it was accidental or a possibly deliberate .
The omission in the line of succession was spotted by ITV Royal Editor Chris Ship, who suggested on the Royal Rota podcast on Friday that the House of Windsor was ‘making a point’.
He said: ‘You have got to ask what has taken them so long. All they have got to do is hit the paragraph button and put in a different number.
‘They must have done it before. They did it for Archie. Clearly they did it for Louis when he was born.
And they have done it for some of the other children like August that have been born as well. So where’s Lilibet? I can forgive them a week or two but a month?’
Mr Ship suggested the omission after such a lengthy period of time was ‘a little petulant’.
He added: ‘Is it them saying, ‘We will get around to it when ready?’ It does feel like to me, maybe, they are making a point.’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey in March that the royal family had told the couple that Archie would not be given a title, citing race as the suspected reason. But it was later revealed that great grand children of the monarch do not inherit royal titles. It stops at the grandchildren of the monarch.
Rules About Eligibility To Royal Titles.
The rules that determine who gets assigned a royal title and who does not draw from an order introduced by Prince Harry’s great-great-grandfather, King George V, in 1917. As per his order, only those in direct succession to the British throne — the children and grandchildren of the monarch — could receive the HRH (his or her royal highness) title. The rules were meant to limit the number of titles bestowed upon members of the royal family.
“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 chil
They chose Lilibet because it was the nickname the Queen was given by her father and later was used by her husband Prince Philip.
Lilibet also has the middle name Diana after her grandmother the Princess of Wales.
At the time of her birth, the website Archewell shared a statement: “On 4 June, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Today’s revelation will come as good news to the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex, and no official reason has been given for the decision .
Harry and Meghan’s friend Omid Scobie, the Harper’s Bazaar US royal editor, tweeted on Monday: “The line of succession on the @RoyalFamily website has just been updated to include the Sussexes’ second child: Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne. She was born on June 4.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Royal Family website is “updated periodically”.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle launched threatened the BBC with legal action last month after the corporation claimed the couple did not ask the Queen if they could name their daughter Lilibet.
The couple said it was ‘false and defamatory’ to suggest the monarch had ‘never been asked’ if they could use her nickname. Representatives of the Palace later said the queen was informed of the name choice, but not asked.
Prince Harry said had the queen expressed any objections to the name, he would have changed it.
Lilibet was the nickname the Queen was given by her father and later was used by her husband Prince Philip.
Lilibet was also given the middle name Diana after her grandmother the Princess of Wales.
Todays news comes after the Royal Family is said to have ‘very real fears’ over what Harry has the potential to share.
Prince Harry is said to have only given his relatives notice of his book ‘just moments’ before the deal with Penguin Random House was announced.
It has also been claimed his second volume in the set of memoirs won’t be published until the Queen dies – but his lawyers have refuted this.
Prince Harry has said of the upcoming books: ‘I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become. I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story – the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned – I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.
‘I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.’
A statement from publisher Penguin Random House said Harry ‘will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, on that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story’.
Twist
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ongoing movie story could have a major twist in it, if Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, fulfils his threat last week to take his daughter to court to obtain his rights to see his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
The Duchess of Sussex’s half-sister Samantha said she is supporting her dad in his decision to take legal action against Meghan.