Meghan Markle and Prince Harry rejected son Archie’s Earl of Dumbarton title for two reasons: Report

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly did not want their son Prince Archie to be called Earl of Dumbarton as per the royal tradition.

The first child of the Sussexes was born on May 6, 2019, and when Meghan learnt about the title, she immediately declined, the Daily Mail reported citing The Telegraph.

Meghan Markle did not want son Archie to be associated with the word ‘dumb’

As per royal author Tom Bower, on learning about the tradition, Meghan Markle said, “Hell no. No son of mine is going to be called dumb.”

In his book ‘Revenge’, published in 2022, Bower wrote that Meghan got to know about the title from Sir Thomas Woodcock, the Garter of Arms, when he called the duchess to discuss Archie's titles soon after his birth. 

But she, along with Harry, was not happy with it and worried it would lead to mockery.

A tipster told The Telegraph, “They didn't like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word ‘dumb’ [and] they were worried about how that might look.”

Another source said, “It wasn't just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision hurt the Dumbarton locals

However, the decision by the Sussexes angered the Dumbarton locals.

“I am very proud to be the MSP for Dumbarton. It is my home. Dumbarton is a wonderful place and the people of Dumbarton have always prided ourselves on being open and accepting,” Jackie Baillie, a member of the Scottish Parliament, stated.

She continued, “We welcome with open arms anyone who wishes to be associated with or call Dumbarton their home,” before adding, “If the rumours about Harry and Meghan are true, then I would encourage them to rethink their decision as I think there is no greater honour than being named after the town.”

Many people took to social media to rebuke the couple's decision at the time, with some saying the title “Earl of Wokingham” should be given to the pair. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were questioned for referring to their children as prince and princess

However, it wasn’t just the Earl of Dumbarton title — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also against their firstborn being referred to as "prince" because they didn’t want to be tied to history.

The duo reportedly just wanted their son to be known as “Mister Archie”. But things changed when their daughter Lilibet was born in 2021.

The former senior members of the royal family began to use the titles prince and princess for their two children, which promoted royal commentator Emily Andrews to ask, “So the perennial question still remains; if being a royal is so traumatic, such a burden, carries so much inter-generational pain why would you want to style your kids prince and princess/keep your own royal titles….??”

But it has been said that according to British law, Archie has the right to be called prince after the queen’s death.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle changed their children's last names

Another change Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made for their children was using Sussex instead of their real last name, Mountbatten-Windsor.

The 43-year-old explained, as per TODAY.com, “It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children. I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me.”

“I think as the kids get older, they’re so excited about, ‘Oh my gosh, Mama and Papa, how did you meet?’ I think that will come with time as they get older, but for right now a huge part of our love story is that we share the name Sussex,” Meghan added.