Happy 2nd Birthday to HRH Prince Louis of Cambridge.

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1917 Letter's Patent, Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince Louis of Cambridge, Prince William of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Prince Louis of Cambridge (Louis Arthur Charles; born April 23, 2018) is a member of the British Royal Family. He is the third and youngest child and second son of the Duke of Cambridge, and Duchess of Cambridge. He is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

On April 27, 2018, it was announced that the baby had been named Louis Arthur Charles, the first and last names honouring his paternal great-great-great-uncle Lord Mountbatten (born HSH Prince Louis of Battenberg) and his paternal grandfather the Prince of Wales, respectively.

Title and succession

Louis is from birth a Prince of the United Kingdom, entitled to the style of Royal Highness. Under the 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V (1910-1936) Louis would not have been entitled without the dignity Prince of the United Kingdom and the style of Royal Highness.

The Letters Patent, dated November 30, 1917, stated that “the children of any Sovereign of these Realms and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign (as per the Letters Patent of 1864) and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (a modification of the Letters Patent of 1898) shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour”.

Louis, as a younger son of the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales he would not have met the requirements to be a Prince of the United Kingdom. It was very rare that a reigning sovereign would live long enough to have great-grand children. The birth of Princess Charlotte was the first British Royal to have been exempted from a title under the 1917 Letters Patent.

On December 31, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II made an amendment to the 1917 Letters Patent by issuing a Letters Patent which gave the title and style His/Her Royal Highness and Prince/Princess of the United Kingdom to all the children of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son. Therefore at birth Louis was thus styled “His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge”.

Prince Louis is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne, behind his grandfather, father and older siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Prince Louis, is the first British Prince to be ranked behind an elder sister in the line of succession following the implementation of the Perth Agreement.

The Perth Agreement is an agreement made by the prime ministers of the sixteen countries of the Commonwealth of Nations which retain the Westminster model of constitutional monarchy (“the Commonwealth realms”). The document agreed to amend the succession to the British throne (and ancillary matters). The institutional and constitutional principles of Commonwealth realms are greatly and at root shared equally as enacted in 1931. The changes, in summary, comprised: replacing male-preference primogeniture ― under which males take precedence over females in the royal succession ― with absolute primogeniture (which does not distinguish gender as a succession criterion); ending disqualification of any person who had married Roman Catholics; and that only six people closest to the throne require the monarch’s permission to marry.

February 8, 1960: Creation of the Surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

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1917 Letter's Patent, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of Edinburgh, House of Windsor, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Mountbatten-Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Sussex

Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname used by some of the male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Under a declaration made in Privy Council on February 8, 1960, the name Mountbatten-Windsor applies to male-line descendants of the Queen without royal styles and titles. Individuals with royal styles do not usually use a surname, but some descendants of the Queen with royal styles have used Mountbatten-Windsor when a surname was required.

The British monarchy asserts that the name Mountbatten-Windsor is used by members of the Royal Family who do not have a surname, when a surname is required. For example, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Anne, Princess Royal, children of the Queen, used the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in official marriage registry entries in 1986 and 1973 respectively. Likewise, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, used the name when filing a French lawsuit related to the topless pictures of his wife published by the French magazine Closer.

At the time of the 1960 declaration, palace officials claimed in private communications that it created a hidden surname that would emerge several generations later when some of Queen Elizabeth II’s descendants were further removed from the throne. On the wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, the Queen decided, with their agreement, that any children they might have should not be styled His or Her Royal Highness. Consequently, the birth of their daughter in 2003 marked the first emergence of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. Their daughter was named Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, although she goes by the courtesy title of Lady Louise Windsor, her father being the Earl of Wessex.

Mountbatten-Windsor differs from the official name of the British royal family, which remains the House of Windsor. In accordance with law and custom in the English-speaking world, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor belongs to all male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and is used by them if and when a surname is needed. Other descendants of King George V, the first monarch of the House of Windsor, use Windsor as their surname if and when a surname is needed: for example, descendants of the King’s sons Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The King’s other two sons, King Edward VIII and Prince John, left no descendants.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is the son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and is the first descendant of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to use the Mountbatten-Windsor surname.

A great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is seventh in the line of succession to the British throne. He is also heir apparent to his father’s Dukedom of Sussex, Earldom of Dumbarton, and Barony of Kilkeel.

Under the terms of the Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917 – the sons and daughters of sovereigns and the male-line grandchildren of sovereigns are entitled to the title of Princes/Princess with the style of Royal Highness. The Letters Patent in 1917 also included the eldest son of the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales – but was amended by Letters Patent by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 prior to the birth of Prince George of Cambridge so that all the children of the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales would bear royal rank.

As The Duke of Sussex is not the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, his son is neither a British prince nor does he have the style Royal Highness, which is the gift of the Queen (usually acting on the wishes of the child’s parents). There was the option of using Prince Harry’s subsidiary title of Earl of Dumbarton, as a courtesy, but Meghan and Harry decided instead that he would be styled as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in accordance with their wish that he grow up as a private citizen.

When the Prince of Wales becomes King, Archie then will become the grandson of the sovereign and he will technically be entitled to the title of Prince with the style of Royal Highness. However, the Prince of Wales has stated the desire to trim down the number of working members of the Royal Family, and with the desire that Archie grow up as a private citizen, his obtaining the style and title is highly unlikely. I suspect a new set of Letters Patent once the Prince of Wales becomes King, replacing the 1917 Letters Patent.

Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet the new son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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1917 Letter's Patent, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of Sussex, Duke of Sussex, Elizabeth II, House of House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, House of Windsor, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Queens

Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were today introduced to the newborn son of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. The Duchess’ mother, Ms Doria Ragland was also present.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to announce that they have named their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Ms Doria Ragland and TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were photographed with their newborn son earlier at Windsor Castle today.

The baby was born on Monday, 6th May, at 05:26 in the morning, weighing 7lbs 3oz at birth and The Duke of Sussex was present.

The name Archie was brought into England by the Normans when William I “The Conqueror” invaded England and became king in 1066. Eventually, in the Middle Ages, the name became common in Scotland and means ‘True and Bold.” The longer version is Archibald. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have simply used the shortened version of “Archie” as the official name.

Harrison simply means “Harry’s son” which I think is pretty clever.

Here is a link to my earlier blog post why Archie Mountbatten-Windsor will not have a tittle. https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/will-the-children-of-the-duke-and-duchess-of-sussex-have-titles/

However, as a non-royal son of a Duke, Archie is entitled to be styled by his fathers secondary title “Earl of Dumbarton” but it has been confirmed that he will not use that title and will be simply known as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Which Titles for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?

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1917 Letter's Patent, Duke of Albany, Duke of Clarence, Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Sussex, Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII, King George III, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince Henry of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Royal Marriages Act of 1772, Titles Deprivation Act 1919

The wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has been announced to take place in May at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

One of the biggest speculations concerning the marriage is what Peerage Title the couple will receive. It has become the tradition with Her Majesty, the Queen, to elevate a member of the Royal Family to the Peerage by granting them a title of Nobility on their wedding day. Prince Andrew was created Duke of York at his wedding, Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex at his wedding, and Prince William was created Duke of Cambridge at his; therefore it is logical to assume Prince Harry will also be granted a Peerage Title on his wedding day. 

But which one? The odds on favorite seems to be Duke of Sussex, followed by Duke of Clarence. There are also other options. The Dukedoms of Albany and Cumberland have been suggested but they are forever in limbo it seems. The last holders of these titles, Prince Charles-Edward, Duke of Albany 1884-1954  (later reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) along with Prince Ernest-Augustus II, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale 1845-1923 were deprived their Peerage titles in 1917 for bearing arms against the United Kingdom in World War I under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917.

Under the provisions of this Act the legitimate lineal male heir of the 1st Duke of Albany was allowed to petition the British Crown for the restoration of the peerages. Because subsequent descendants have married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, there were theoretically no people alive who can make such a petition according to British Law. The last person eligible to petition the Crown was Prince Friedrich-Josia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who died in 1998. Since the the Royal Marriages Act 1772 was repealed by the subsequent Crown Act of 2013 it remains to be seen if the current heir, Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, can Petition the Crown to regain this title.

In 1799 the double dukedom of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, was bestowed on Prince Ernest-Augustus, fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Hanover. In 1837 Ernest-Augustus became King of Hanover and on his death in 1851 the title descended with the kingdom to his son King Georg V, and on Georg’s  death in 1878 to his grandson Ernst-August II. In 1866 Hanover was annexed by Prussia but King Georg V died without renouncing his rights. His son, Ernst-August II, not only maintained his claim to the kingdom of Hanover, he was generally known by his title of Duke of Cumberland.

The title was suspended for Ernst-August II’s pro-German activities during World War I under the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act as it was for his son (Prince Ernst-August III 1887-1953, reigning Duke of Brunswick). Under the Act the lineal male heirs of the 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale have the right to petition the British Crown for the restoration of his peerages. To date, none have done so. The present heir and current head of the House of Hanover is Prince Ernst-August V (born 26 February 1954), great-grandson of Prince Ernst-August II, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Tiveotdale. He is the senior male-line descendant of George III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is very unlikely that the current head of the House of Hanover will petition the Crown to have this title restored.

Unless these two Dukedoms are formally and legally renounced these titles will likely remain in limbo. Dukedoms such as Connaught belong to Ireland where the Queen no longer reigns so that Dukedom is no longer an option. The Dukedom of Windsor is so associated (tainted) with King Edward VIII the chance it ever being re-created for another British Royal is highly unlikely.

There is also the possibility that the Queen will grant the royal couple a lesser title such as Earl or even Marquess. At this time Prince Harry is 5th in line to the throne. The Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth to their third child in April and if all goes as planned this will make Prince Harry 6th in line to the British throne. Since Prince Harry will be further down in the order of succession a lesser title becomes a possibility, however slight it is. 

I know they’re not even married yet but I need to mention the titles of any subsequent Children. Under the provisions of the 1917 Letter’s Patent any children born to the Royal Couple during the life time of the Queen will NOT have a royal title. Under the provisions of the 1917 Letter’s Patent the royal title is limited to the grandchildren of The sovereign in the male line. Prince Harry and Meghan’s children will be great-grandchildren in the male line of the sovereign thus making them ineligible for a title.

The Act only provided a title for a great-grandchild in the male line of the sovereign when that child is the eldest son, of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. In this instance, Prince George of Cambridge. The Queen did amend the 1917 Letter’s Patent to include ALL children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen could do something similar with the children of Prince Harry and Meghan. However, in the long run it won’t be necessary. Any children born during the reign of the Queen will automatically gain the title Prince/Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland when the Queen passes away; for they will no longer be great-grandchildren of the sovereign, they will be the grandchildren of the new sovereign, King Charles III.

 

 

 

Titles, Titles Titles! HRH The Earl of Wessex and his title and his children’s titles.

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1917 Letter's Patent, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, James Windsor, King George V of Great Britain, Kings and Queens of England, Lady Louise Windsor, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II, The Earl of Wessex

I have been having some lively debates on this topic on Facebook and another Royal message board. Things seem a little cloudy when it comes to the future title of HRH The Earl of Wessex and the titles of his children. The debate hinges around how Her Majesty the Queen conducts her royal prerogative as the font of all honors. 

Let’s take the children of TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex. According to the 1917 Letters Patent (LP) issued by King George V the title of Prince or Princess of the UK is held by the sons and daughters of the sovereign, the male line grandchildren of the sovereign, and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son. Prince George of Cambridge is an example of the last condition of the LP. Incidentally, with HRH the Duchess of Cambridge due pretty soon with their second child, this child would not hold a royal title under the rules of the 1917 LP. However, on December 31, 2012 Letters Patent were issued by Queen Elizabeth II which extended the 1917 patent so that all children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness.  

I think her actions on the Cambridge children and their titles is important to this debate. Let me explain further. According to the 1917 LP the Children of the Earl of Wessex are entitled to be Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness, but they are just not currently using those titles.  Or, do they not even have them? There are some that believe that the agreement in 1999 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Earl of Wessex that his children be styled as the son or daughter of a non-royal Earl was enough to deny them their titles. Is her wish and word enough or does she have to issue Letters Patent to override the 1917 LP? That is the question. 

There are two camps. One camp believes their children, James Windsor, Viscount Severn, and, Lady Louise Windsor, are, in fact, Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness.  They cite the 1917 LP as evidence and feel that Her Majesty’s agreement with the Earl of Wessex did not override or negate the 1917 LP. The other camp believes that Her Majesty, as the Font of All Honors, doesn’t always have to issue LPs to state her will and that her word and will is just as sufficient as LPs in this area. In that case, then the agreement  between Her Majesty the Queen and the Earl of Wessex that his children be styled as the son of a non-royal Earl was enough to deny them their titles. Plus, it has been pointed out, that if the Wessex children wanted to use the titles the 1917 LP allows them to have, they would need permission from the sovereign to start using them, giving weight to the argument that they do not have the titles. 

I can see both sides of this issue so I am neutral on this issue. 

I want to keep this to a digestible amount so part II, dealing with the Earl of Wessex title and his inheriting his father’s title “Duke of Edinburgh,” will be posted tomorrow.