BREAKING: The British monarchy is an extremely archaic and outdated institution, operating under an incredibly archaic and patriarchal tradition. So when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) had their first child in May 2019, they were a bit puzzled that he was not immediately called Prince Archie (opens in new tab), but the staid old rules that determine who can be called a prince or princess It seemed quite possible that there might be.

It turns out that that staid old rule does indeed exist, but there is another rule that allows the little royal (now officially titled Lady Archie Mountbatten-Windsor) to become a prince if Prince Charles takes the throne. Harry and Meghan hinted in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7 (opens in new tab) that future rule changes may be due to racism, or at least the royal court's frustration with the couple's very public decision to distance themselves from their royal duties.

Here's what you need to know about Archie's title (or lack thereof).

While it may seem strange that the 22-month-old Prince Archie was not born despite being seventh in line to the throne (opens in new tab), that's how the royal cookie crumbles: by virtue of a patent letter issued by King George V in 1917 (opens in new tab), the monarch's children and male grandchildren, plus the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (generally the heir apparent), were the only ones to be called princes and princesses. Elizabeth II slightly updated this proclamation in 2012 (opens in new tab), expanding the last part of George V's proclamation to include all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.

Under this rule, of Archie's relatives on the family tree, only George, Charlotte, and Louis, children of Prince William and Kate Middleton, can now use the "His Highness" style. However, as Meghan and Harry hinted to Oprah, unless Elizabeth or Charles change the rules before that happens.

Even without being born a formal prince, Archie was entitled to the ostensible title of Earl of Dumbarton as heir to his father's Scottish earldom. Instead, it was announced within days of his birth that Archie's official title would not be Earl or Lord, but simply Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. (The official family name of the Royal Family is a combination of the surnames of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, but it is rarely used. Will and Kate's children use the surname Cambridge on their birth certificates)

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At the time, the New York Times (opens in new tab) reported that this modest style was Harry and Meghan's choice and that they wanted their children to "grow up as private citizens." However, the Sussexes questioned these reports in a new interview with Oprah.

Although they did not discuss their choice of "master" rather than earl or lord at Archie's birth, the parents of soon-to-be 2-year-old Archie revealed to Oprah that the choice of Archie's title "was not our decision." Princess Meghan added that, in contrast to earlier reports, she would have happily allowed her son to be called Prince.

Instead, they were informed that Prince Charles would take steps to slim down the monarchy, which would likely result in the loss of Harry's children's titles once he took the throne. During her pregnancy, Meghan said, "We have parallel conversations that he will not be given security, he will not be given a title."

And some of those conversations also shockingly revolved around, as she added, "how dark his skin might be when he is born (open in new tab)," and the decision not to let her and Harry's children use the HRH title was racist It raises the question of whether it was motivated by racism." Especially as Megan expressed sadness and consternation at "the idea that the first member of this family of color would not be given the title in the same way as the other grandchildren.