Archie might yet get a prince title, but on this condition

(Image credit: getty)

Yesterday was a big moment in the history of the Royal family. Not only was Baby Sussex's first photo released, but his name was revealed too.

The Palace issued a statement saying: 'The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were introduced to the newborn son of The Duke & Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. Ms Doria Ragland was also present. The Duke & Duchess of Sussex are delighted to announce that they have named their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.'

This announcement was different to the ones the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made for the births of their children George, Charlotte and Louis, in that they Archie was not preceded by a title, whereas the others included HRH.

For example, when Prince Louise was born, the Palace declared: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.'

This could be a conscious decision from his parents Harry and Meghan, hoping for a relatively normal upbringing for the baby. But it's also because technically he has no title.

According to Harper's Bazaar, this dates back to the 1917 Letter's Patent decreed by King George V, which states that only grandchildren of the sovereign will have a royal titles.

Of course, Kate and Williams' children are the Queen's great-grandchildren, so she had to issue a new Letter's Patent in 2012 declaring them Princes and Princess.

She hasn't done so yet for Archie, but regardless, if and when Prince Charles ascends the throne, then Archie could receive the title of His Royah Highness Prince Louis.

However, he could also decide to issue a Letter's Patent stating that only children of the heir apparent receive titles, in which case Archie will remain Archie, and have fewer official responsibilities and patronages.

In other words, we'll have to wait and see.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.