There has been much speculation about the alleged reason why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “stripped” their son, Prince Archie, of his royal title, but the reality behind the decision is more complex and far from an act of deprivation.

“They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called Earl of Dumbarton because it starts with the word ‘dumb’ and they were concerned about the image it might convey,” a source close to the family told the Telegraph.

Some would think that this is all about Meghan, but that is not the case, as Prince Harry also had a say in this rather unusual situation.

“It wasn’t just Meghan who pointed out the potential drawbacks, it bothered Harry too,” the source added.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ran into trouble

The former actress broke the historic British tradition of granting titles to members of the royal family, which struck a nerve with those in the know.

The title of Earl of Dumbarton was created in Scotland in 1675 for Lord George Douglas in recognition of his participation in the Franco-Dutch War.

The late queen reintroduced the title into the British aristocracy as one of two additional titles for her grandson when he married Meghan in May 2018.

Meghan and Harry‘s omission of the title of Earl of Dumbarton for Archie sparked media coverage and anxiety among the people of Dumbarton.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex kept their nicknames without issue, but they agreed to stop using HRH, which stands for His Royal Highness. They have certainly brought a lot of change, but they always do it with respect and in their own way.

However, this is probably not something that concerns them in the slightest, especially at this time of year, as their son, Prince Archie, will turn six on May 6th, and it seems clear that they will not allow their son to use the royal title, given their background and past thoughts. We will see if they are more open about this decision.