Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have unilaterally declared their daughter Lilibet princess, despite the fact that the palace has not publicly approved the title.
Their children are legally entitled to be known as prince and princess based on a rule naming the monarch’s grandchildren that way.
However, the Palace has notably refused to use such titles on its official channels, and the Palace has long refused to be guided by how the Sussex children would be styled.
It has been speculated that the reluctance to recognize the children as prince and princess was linked to the collapse of the couple’s relationship with the royals.
The couple now seem to have run out of patience and have instead instructed the royals to explicitly deny the children the titles if they so choose.
In an announcement Wednesday morning, the Sussexes said their daughter Princess Lilibet Diana had been baptized.
However, Lilibet still appears as Miss Lilibet Mountbatten Windsor on the official royal website and her older brother, Archie, appears as Master Archie.
Rumors are circulating that this may now be changed, indicating that the Palace will accept the legitimacy of the titles, but the fact that this has to happen in response to the Sussex announcement is likely to enrage the Palace’s old guard.
The palace was contacted for comment on Wednesday but has not responded.
However, a palace source confirmed that the use of the title was correct and said the website would be updated in due course.
In a statement to People magazine, a spokesperson for the couple said: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was baptized on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Reverend John Taylor.”
People reported that the Sussexes had invited King Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate to the ceremony, but none of them turned up.
Prince William’s office said it could not comment on “private invitations.”
People said there were “between 20-30 guests” at the gathering, including Meghan’s mother, Doria, and Lilibet’s godfather, Tyler Perry, who brought a 10-piece gospel choir to sing “Oh Happy Day” at the ceremony.
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe, former royal editor at The Sun, told The Daily Beast: “The Sussexes challenged the palace to contradict them. It’s a very uncompromising move.”
A friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast: “The children are entitled to the titles by convention. It’s just amazing that Harry and Meghan would want to inflict them on their children given the extent of their disappointment with the institution.”