Meghan Markle: Expert discusses birth certificate change

It emerged last week that the Duchess’ first two names ‘Rachel Meghan’ were removed from Archie’s birth certificate three weeks after it was registered leaving simply ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex’. Some royal experts claimed this had been a deliberate move to distance the Sussexes from the Cambridges, amid claims of a rift between the royal couples. Prince George and his siblings’ birth certificates feature Kate’s first and second names ‘Catherine Elizabeth’ as well as her title, Duchess of Cambridge.

Meghan furiously hit back with a statement from her US press team, claiming the removal of her given names had been “dictated by the Palace”.

They added that it was “offensive” to suggest she had wanted to be “nameless” on her child’s birth certificate.

However, this is not the first time a royal baby’s birth certificate has caused confusion.

When George was born, Kate was listed as “Princess of the United Kingdom”, sparking a debate over her status and title.

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Kate’s title of Duchess was listed under her name, but her occupation or “job description” listed her as a Princess.

However, this does not mean she should be addressed as a Princess.

On marriage to Prince William, Kate technically became Princess William of Wales, in the same way that the wife of the Queen’s cousin Prince MIchael of Kent is known as Princess Michael of Kent.

However, her own Duchess title takes precedence over this.

Naturally, Meghan was also listed as “Princess of the United Kingdom” on Archie’s birth certificate.

Male direct descendants of the monarch are usually given a dukedom, or another title, when they get married and William became the Duke of Cambridge.

This means his wife is entitled to be known as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, and so Kate has been styled as such since her wedding.

This was the same for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who were made the Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, who were made the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

DON’T MISS
Prince Harry’s Travalyst initiative STILL not a charity [EXCLUSIVE]
Melania Trump shares similarities with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall [REVEALED]
Prince Harry ‘distances himself from Joe Biden’ in Travalyst report [INSIGHT]

When William becomes King, Kate will become Queen Consort.

The paperwork for Prince George was filled out by hand by Alison Cathcart, the deputy registrar of Westminster, who visited William at Kensington Palace.

She described it as “a great pleasure” and privilege.

She said: “We also registered the birth of the Queen and Prince Charles and Prince William and Harry, so it’s great to see that tradition continue.”

Meghan Markle baby: Archie’s birth certificate released

The certificate does not give a surname for the new mother, as members of the Royal Family do not need one.

If, for any reason, a surname is required, the Queen’s children or grandchildren can be known as Mountbatten-Windsor, the name of the royal house, pre-fixed with Prince Philip’s surname.

When Princess Anne got married, she listed her last name as Mountbatten-Windsor.

Alternatively, a title can be used as a surname instead, for example when William was in the RAF, he was known as Flight Lieutenant William Wales.

Princess Beatrice of York called herself Beatrice York at university.

What is not clear is why the Palace “dictated” that Meghan remove her names Rachel Meghan, yet did not do so for Kate.

Source: Read Full Article