Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently announced they're expecting their second child together. While their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, was born in London, it's likely that Meghan will give birth in California this time. Another difference for their second child is that Harry and Meghan are no longer official members of the Royal Family, as they were when Archie was born. This begs the question: will the new Sussex baby be in the line of succession for the British throne?
Despite stepping down from their official royal roles in January 2020, Harry and Meghan's children will remain in the line of succession. For those who may not know, the line of succession is the order in which members of the Royal Family will inherit the throne and become the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.
Upon his birth in 1984, Prince Harry was third in line to the throne. He followed his father, Prince Charles, and older brother, Prince William, in the line of succession. Once Prince William welcomed his first child, Prince George, in 2013, however, Prince Harry was bumped down to fourth in line. After Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were born, Prince Harry was bumped down again to the sixth slot.
When Archie was born in 2019, he became seventh in line to the throne. Archie's sibling will follow behind at number eight. Prince Harry will likely remain in the sixth slot until his nieces and nephews are adults and welcome their own children into the world. When this happens, Archie and his younger sibling will also get further away from the chance of ever inheriting the throne and becoming the ruling monarch.
Even though Harry and his children remain in the line of succession, neither Archie nor his future sibling will have royal titles. This would also be true if Harry and Meghan had remained official working members of The Firm. This means the Sussex kids will be private citizens because they are not part of the direct line to the throne. Prince William's kids, however, received HRH titles upon their births.
Photo: Getty