Why Prince William saying he will reconnect with Prince Harry in wake of Oprah interview is significant

 

ROYAL

• HARRY AND MEGHAN
• PRINCE WILLIAM
• Thursday 11 March 2021, 5:06pm

Chris Ship

Royal Editor

Why Prince William saying he will reconnect with Prince Harry in wake of Oprah interview is significant

Prince William’s comment that he will re-connect with Prince Harry is significant, given the two of them haven’t spoken directly for the best part of a year.

Since the Oprah interview was broadcast, on Sunday in the US and on Monday in the UK, I have heard of some movement in the brothers' communications.

I don’t know exactly what that movement is but it suggests they may have messaged one another to arrange, as William promised today, some kind of conversation.

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'We are very much not a racist family': Prince William responds to the claims made by the Sussexes 

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You might not think this is a big deal for two brothers who were once very close, but the very fact it is tells you all you need to know about how far apart they have become.

If William is good to his word, this could be the opportunity both brothers needed to start repairing the deep tear in their relationship which has developed in recent years.

And the potential for the two brothers to mend their broken relationship could be one of the few positive things to come out of Meghan’s interview.

The other positive might be the debate on race in the UK which has been sparked by Meghan’s claims.

Whatever the context in which the conversation about Archie’s skin colour and whoever said those words to Harry, on a wider point Meghan firmly believes that the race issue in modern-day Britain is not recognised widely enough.

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And she believes the issue is most certainly not spoken about enough.

That’s not to say in America, where she grew up, they don’t have their own issues with race, they do.

But in the US they talk about it – it's front and centre. The issue is regularly finding its way into the media.

From her short time in the UK and specifically in the Royal Family, Meghan concluded that the British are much more likely to sweep this under the carpet.

Some people I’ve spoken to in recent days have referred to the Oprah interview as Britain’s “George Floyd” moment.

And people may take differently things from Prince William’s words today that “we are very much not a racist family”.

But in those two short comments from William today, we can read a lot.

Firstly, that he and Harry understand the importance of repairing their relationship, not just for themselves but for the Royal Family more widely.

And secondly, that William understands that every person in the UK, Royal or otherwise, needs to address the issue of race.

Why Archie has no royal title

Reports are surfacing that Archie was denied royal title as a result of his skin color which is totally untrue and mischievous. This comes after  his Mother, Meghan Markle made certain statements in an Oprah Winfrey interview aired on CBS last night . This facts highlights the misrepresentation of that facts and why Meghan was taking out of context .

Pictured is Her Majesty , The Queen and Her three Generations. The Three Future Kings.

Under protocols established by George V in letters patent more than 100 years ago in 1917, the children and grandchildren of a sovereign have the automatic right to the title HRH and prince or princess.

At the time Archie was born, he was the great-grandchild of a sovereign, not a grandchild.

George V’s declaration sets out: “The grandchildren of the sons of any such sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of this realm.”

As such, Archie will be entitled to the titles when Prince Charles accedes the throne.

George V’s declaration means that only Prince George, as a great-grandson of the monarch down the direct line of succession to the throne, was originally entitled to be a prince, as he is the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.

The Queen did step in ahead of George’s birth to issue letters patent to ensure the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children would have the titles of prince and princess.

But they are children of the future monarch, whereas Archie is not. His father, Harry, is sixth in line to the throne, and will move down the line of succession if William and Kate have more children, and as George, Charlotte and Louis have children of their own.

At the time of Archie’s birth, it was reported the couple had decided he should be plain Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor – the surname adopted by the royal family reflecting Prince Philip’s family name, and the Windsor name adopted by George V.

It was suggested this was because the couple wanted him to be seen as normal, without the burden of being a prince.

             Meghan & Harry with Oprah Winfrey 

But Meghan made clear this was not the case. “It was not our decision to make,” she said.

Asked if Archie being a prince was important to her, she replied: “If it meant he was going to be safe, then of course.”

She added: “All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment I don’t have. I’ve been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess. I’m clear on who I am, independent of that stuff. The most important title I will ever have is ‘Mom’.”

Extended members of the royal family also do not have automatic right to police security, which is a matter the royal family never discusses. It is a decision made with the family, Home Office and Metropolitan police. Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice no longer have security paid for by the taxpayer.

Other Members without Royal title are the Children of the Princess Royal ,Princess Anne . 

Zara Tindall, née Phillips, is one of the most recognisable faces of the royal family and yet she has no royal title in front of her name like all her cousins do.

The world champion equestrian and her brother, Peter Phillips, are both without royal rank, whilst cousins William and Harry are Princes and Beatrice and Eugenie are Princesses.

Even the their lesser-known cousins, Prince Edward’s children, are known as James, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise.

So why is it that Zara and Peter have missed out on these grand titles when they are bestowed upon nearly all of their relatives?

Zara and Mike Tindall were married in 2011 (Picture: Getty Images)

Zara and Peter’s mother is Princess Anne, who is the Queen’s daughter and as the children of the monarch’s daughter, they do not hold a royal title.

All of their cousins are children of the monarch’s sons – Charles, Edward and Andrew – so they do get the royal titles.

This all seems very archaic and sexist, but that is the way of things.

Zara is one of the Queen’s eight grandchildren (Picture: Getty Images)

The monarch has the option of offering titles to her daughter’s children and the Queen did offer Princess Anne this chance when both Peter and Zara were born.

Princess Anne and her husband, Mark Phillips declined the offer, whilst Mark was also offered an earldom upon their marriage but he turned it down too.

If he had accepted the offer then Zara and Peter could have been given courtesy titles similar to James, Viscount Severn and Lady Louise who took them instead of Prince and Princess as daughter of the Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward).

Peter Phillips has two daughters with his wife Autumn – Savannah and Isla, whilst Zara and Mike have a daughter of their own – Mia.

Savannah was the Queen’s first great-grandchild, but clearly, none of the three girls have royal titles either.