In the early hours of May 6, the newest member of the British royal family was born, with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan welcoming a baby boy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be royal rule-breakers, but there is one tradition that they are required to follow.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will have to consider this rule when naming their baby. (Image: Getty Images)
Once a royal baby has been born, the parents must wait several days to publicly announce their child’s name so that Queen Elizabeth and the other members of the royal family know and can check that it’s suitable.
“Royals, however, also have to consider the great responsibility in naming a new member of the family and I expect they want to be a hundred per cent certain of their choice before announcing the name and sealing the baby’s place in history,” royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told Town and Country.
Prince William and Duchess Catherine chose the regal, classic names of George, Charlotte and Louis for their children but seeing as Harry and Meghan don’t have as much royal responsibility, they will have more freedom when it comes to selecting a baby name.
For instance, William and Harry’s names are much more traditional than their cousins Beatrice and Eugenie due to their royal pecking order.
READ MORE: The bets are on! What will Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan name their baby?
The Queen was first informed of Meghan’s pregnancy at Princess Eugenie’s wedding. (Image: Getty Images)
The royal baby will be eighth in line to throne after Prince Harry.
While Harry and Meghan were bestowed with the respective titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, that Dukedom can only be passed on to their child if it is a son.
Therefore, if they were to have a daughter, the title would die out.
The Daily Mail reports that the child will be referred to as Earl of Dumbarton if he is a boy or Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor if she is a girl, unless the Queen bestows the title of prince or princess on them.
However, as Meghan is a proud feminist and the Queen has been known to bend the rules with titles (especially as Harry is reportedly her favourite grandchild, this formality may be waved.
There is also another loophole which stipulates: “The grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms,” Good Housekeeping explains.
This means The Queen’s great-grandchildren do not necessarily get the HRH title.
WATCH: Duchess Meghan cradles her baby bump in Fraser Island. Post continues after video…
According to Sportsbet, front-runners for the royal baby’s name included Arthur and Alexander for a boy. If the couple had welcomed a girl, Diana, Alice and Grace were top choices.
Meanwhile, The Weekly had the privilege to follow the Duke and Duchess during their royal tour of Australia last October and the topic of baby names came up when the couple visited Melbourne.
When 12 year-old Charlie Wolf travelled on a tram with the Duke and Duchess, he asked Meghan, “Have you got any names for the baby?”
The Duchess replied, “We haven’t decided. We’ve been given a long list of names from everyone and we’re going to sit down and look at them, have a talk about it.”
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The surprising way Duchess Meghan’s hair has changed throughout her pregnancy
