When you woke up this morning with a royal news hangover, you might have had a few questions.
Like, will the royal baby ever be Queen or King?
Will they be a Prince or a Princess?
We have the answers.
Where will the baby fall in the line of succession?
Seventh in line.
The baby will bump Harry’s uncle the Duke of York into eighth place in the line of succession, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie move into ninth and 10th.
Will he or she ever be a monarch?
Unlikely. The baby will have three cousins Prince George – a future king – and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are further up the line of succession, so it is a safe bet that throne will stay on the Cambridge side of the family.
What will be the baby be called?
William and Kate chose royal favourites for their children.
But will Harry and American-born Meghan go classic or break the royal mould when naming their baby?
If they stay traditional, something like Alice, Mary, Elizabeth or Victoria for a girl, and James, Philip, Frederick or Arthur for a boy are possibilities.
In the US, the most popular name for a baby girl is Emma and Liam for a baby boy.
Will the baby be a Prince or a Princess?
No they will not be a prince nor a princess, nor an HRH because George V limited titles within the Royal Family in 1917.
So.. What will their title be?
A son would be known as Earl of Dumbarton – because a first son of a duke is allowed to use one of his father’s other lesser titles as a courtesy title.
Harry was also made the Earl of Dumbarton on the morning of his wedding, as well as being given a dukedom.
A daughter would be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
But could the Queen change this?
Yes. The Queen stepped in ahead of George’s birth to issue a Letters Patent to ensure the Cambridges’ children had fitting titles, but this royal baby is much further down the line of succession.
When and where will the baby be born?
Kate had three successful deliveries at the private Lindo Wing in St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, so Meghan might follow her sister-in-law’s lead.
Harry was also born there in 1984. It is close to Kensington Palace and well practised at dealing with royal births, and the publicity surrounding them.
Will the baby have dual citizenship?
Harry and Meghan could apply for their child to have dual US-UK citizenship.
Meghan is planning to become a British citizen – but it is not known whether she will hold dual nationality, and at present is still a US citizen.
According to the American Embassy in the UK, a child born outside of the US and in wedlock to a US citizen parent and a non US citizen parent, may acquire US citizenship at birth if the US parent lived in America for five years – two of which were after the age of 14.
So there you have it.
