Fact check: How do the royal titles of Prince Harry's children compare to those of Prince William's children?

1. What people are claiming and why it matters — a headline you should not miss

Coverage has repeatedly asserted two main claims: first, that Archie and Lilibet’s princely styles became formalized after Queen Elizabeth’s death because grandchildren of a sovereign receive princely titles; and second, that Prince William’s anticipated reforms could remove princely styles from non-working royals, possibly including the Sussex children and even affecting how his own children are styled in future ^{[1] [5] [3]}. These claims intersect constitutional custom, modern royal practice and personal prerogative: the Crown determines styles by Letters Patent or tradition, but the working monarchy’s public-facing decisions can reshape who uses titles in practice. The debate matters because titles govern public status, potential public duties, and how the monarchy presents itself internationally and domestically.

2. How titles are currently assigned — the legal and historical baseline that everyone references

Under the long-standing framework that governed Queen Elizabeth’s decisions, male-line grandchildren of a sovereign were entitled to be princes or princesses and to the style His/Her Royal Highness, and surnames vary based on parental peerage usage — Cambridge for William’s children when their father was the Duke of Cambridge, Mountbatten‑Windsor for the Sussexes in some contexts — a practice traced to a 1960 declaration by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh ^{[2] [1]}. This baseline explains why Archie and Lilibet were styled as prince and princess after a change of sovereign and why the Cambridge children’s use of Cambridge or of Wales depends on their parents’ substantive titles. The distinction is both legal and practical, with the sovereign or Letters Patent able to alter who receives or uses styles.

3. Where Prince William’s proposed reforms fit — slimming the monarchy and the precedent argument

Recent reporting in October 2025 attributes to Prince William a plan to streamline the monarchy and to remove princely titles from non-working royals, citing examples like Denmark’s Queen Margrethe’s family as precedent and suggesting Archie and Lilibet could be affected when William becomes king ^{[3] [5]}. A sovereign can choose to issue new guidance or Letters Patent changing who uses titles, and William’s publicly stated interest in a “slimmed-down” monarchy has driven speculation on practical rollbacks. Observers diverge: some view changes as modernization and clarification of public roles, while others see potential family and diplomatic fallout, particularly because titles also carry public expectations and identity implications.

4. How the children’s current situations compare — practical differences between Sussex and Cambridge offspring

At present, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis carry titles reflecting their parents’ senior peerages and their positions in the line of succession, and they have already used styles tied to Wales after their parents’ change in titles; Archie and Lilibet were publicly referred to as prince and princess following the change of sovereign and updates by the Sussex spokesperson and official channels ^{[6] [1]}. Practically, the Cambridge children are embedded in the working household and schooling contexts where their titles are routinely used, while the Sussex children have a more contested public standing because of their parents’ decision to step back from senior royal duties — a divergence that fuels debate about whether title changes would be symbolic, functional, or both.

5. What is settled and what remains open — timelines, powers and the questions still unanswered

Facts established to date show that titles can be confirmed, updated or restricted by the sovereign and by other formal instruments, and that public announcements in 2023 and subsequent reporting confirmed current styling for both sets of children ^{[1] [2]}. What remains open is the scope and timing of any changes: whether Prince William, upon accession, will issue Letters Patent or adopt administrative practice to remove princely styles from non-working royals; whether such moves would be applied retroactively or selectively; and how public institutions would implement any new guidance ^{[3] [4]}. Until formal action is taken by the sovereign or published as a binding instrument, reports about intended reforms remain well-sourced speculation anchored in precedent but not yet settled law, leaving a gap between media reporting and constitutional effect.