Lilibet’s christening: Is Harry and Meghan’s daughter a princess?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have begun using the prince and princess titles for their children Archie and Lilibet.
Harry and Meghan’s youngsters became princes and princesses when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained simply “masters” and “ladies” on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.
The Palace confirmed that the site’s line of succession list will now be updated to reflect the change after a spokesperson for the Sussexes publicly referred to Lili as a princess for the first time today when announcing the news of her christening.
Here MailOnline looks at some of the key questions surrounding the news:
What is Lilibet’s full name?
Lilibet, known as ‘Lili’ for short, was named as ‘Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor’ on her California birth certificate.
Buckingham Palace currently refers to her on the royal website as ‘Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor’.
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after celebrating her first birthday in June last year
What do Harry and Meghan call Lilibet?
Lili was described as ‘Princess Lilibet Diana’ in a statement from a spokesperson for the couple today, who confirmed their christening on Friday.
It was the first time Lili was publicly referred to as a princess.
While it’s understood the title will be used in formal settings, the couple won’t be using it in everyday conversation.
Therefore, it is likely that she is still referred to as ‘Lilibet’ in most settings.
Will Lilibet be able to choose her title when she grows up?
It is understood that Harry and Meghan are willing not to deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the opportunity to decide for themselves when they are older whether to give up or continue using the titles.
Then, Lilibet will decide if she wants to describe herself as a princess.
So is Lilibet officially a princess?
Yes, Harry and Meghan’s children, Archie and Lilibet, became prince and princess respectively when King Charles acceded to the throne last September.
However, it is only now that the couple have chosen to use the title.
Why can she be a princess?
Rules laid out by King George V in 1917 mean that Archie and Lili, as children of a sovereign, are automatically a prince and princess.
The first image of Lilibet was published on a Christmas card on December 23, 2021.
What has Buckingham Palace said?
Buckingham Palace has said the royal website will “now be updated in due course” to reflect the titles, making Lilibet a princess.
Previously, at the time of the late Queen’s death and the King’s accession last year, a spokesperson for the King undertook to update the names of Archie and Lilibet on the site “as information becomes available”.
What has the couple previously said on the subject?
Meghan said in the couple’s explosive interview with American talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that Archie was not granted the title of prince because of his race.
However, when he was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line.
Although he was a great-grandson of the monarch, he was not the firstborn son of a future king, so he was not automatically a prince.
Does Lilibet have the title of Her Royal Highness?
Lilibet now also has an HRH-style title, Her Royal Highness, if you want to use it.
But he also understood that HRH will be ‘held on hold’, which describes a state of temporary disuse.
‘Lili’ was baptized by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor
Who baptized Lilibet?
The couple’s statement said that Lilibet was “baptized on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor.”
But Reverend Taylor is actually the Bishop of Los Angeles in the Episcopal Church USA, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The Archbishop of Los Angeles is the Most Rev. José H. Gómez, who heads the largest Catholic community in the United States.
Does this mean that Lilibet will never be able to join the Church of England?
Carrying out the ceremony in the US means that Lilibet will not automatically be considered a ‘member’ of the Church of England.
But later he could join a Church of England congregation if he came to Britain.
Does Lilibet need to be christened in a Church of England ceremony in the future?
No. Because The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, baptism in the US is valid in the UK.
A royal baby also does not need to be christened in a Church of England church to enter the royal line of succession.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son Archie and (left to right) the Queen Consort, the King, Mrs Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the Castle of Windsor after her christening in July. 2019
Is Meghan part of the Church of England?
Meghan attended a Catholic secondary school in the US, but was baptized and confirmed into the Church of England in a private ceremony led by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby before her 2018 wedding.
The intimate 45-minute service was held in the Royal Chapel.
Where and when was Lilibet’s baptism?
The christening took place in private at the Sussexes’ home in Montecito, California, on Friday, March 3.
Are baptisms allowed outside of the church buildings?
Baptisms and baptisms normally take place in churches, although there is no absolute requirement for them to be held there.
The Book of Common Prayer, which is used by the Church of England and the Episcopal Church, states under the heading ‘private baptism of infants’ that: ‘The Minister of each parish shall advise the people who without great cause and necessity seek not their children to be baptized at home in their houses. But when necessity compels them to do so, then baptism will be administered in this way.’
In the UK, the Church of England states that “unless there are very exceptional circumstances, a christening must always take place in a church, so it is generally not possible to carry out a christening at home, in an assembly hall or outside.” fresh air”.
Is Lilibet the only Episcopalian in the Royal Family?
No other current members of the Royal Family are believed to have been baptized by the Episcopal Church.
Meghan was a Catholic growing up, before being baptized and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.
The couple broke with a long-standing tradition by performing baptisms in the US, with royal babies normally baptized in a Church of England church.
Who attended Lilibet’s baptism?
People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry.
Royal journalist Omid Scobie, close to the Sussexes, reported that “King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate were invited but did not attend.”
It is not known if other members of the royal family were present.
Where was Archie baptized?
Lilibet’s brother, Archie, was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in July 2019.
What is a baptism?
The Collins dictionary defines a christening as a ‘Christian ceremony in which an infant becomes a member of the Christian Church and is officially named’.
The Episcopal Church describes a christening as, for parents, “a commitment to their faith on behalf of their child.”