Prince Louis Almost Had a Different Royal Title

Queen Elizabeth stepped in to make sure he got what he deserved.

Everyone's favorite mischievous royal offspring, Prince Louis, almost didn't get the honor of being an HRH—that's "His Royal Highness" to anyone unfamiliar with royal titles. However, his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth stepped in to make changes to a royal rule linked to King George V that goes all the way back to 1917. According to the Mirror, the former monarch decreed that only those "closest to the top of the line of succession" would be granted HRH titles, which means the sovereign's children and grandchildren born through the male line.

Elizabeth amended the rules to include Prince William and Princess Catherine's children, so they were all granted prince and princess titles, and, in turn, His and Her Royal Highness honorifics. If she hadn't stepped in, Louis would have been Master Louis Cambridge or Master Louis Windsor.

Of course, the changes were highlighted when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat down to speak with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. During their conversation, Markle explained that Elizabeth's royal rule changes didn't apply to Archie and that in addition to not getting an HRH title, he wouldn't be getting the security envoy that comes along with it.

"They were saying they didn't want him to be a prince or princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn't going to receive security. This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy where I was going, hold on for a second. They said [he's not going to get security], because he's not going to be a prince," Meghan said. "Okay, well, he needs to be safe so we're not saying don't make him a prince or princess, but if you're saying the title is what's going to affect that protection, we haven't created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder you've allowed that to happen which means our son needs to be safe."

When King Charles ascended to the throne, Meghan and Harry's kids got official titles. They're sixth and seventh in line to the throne, respectively, and before the official change, they were listed as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor on the royal family's official website.

"The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch," a statement from Harry and Meghan read at the time. "This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace."

For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on InStyle.