Why Princess Eugenie's Future Children Won't Have Royal Titles

Princess Eugenie has yet to address her rumored pregnancy, but talks are already swirling around as to whether or not her future children will have royal titles like her. If Princess Eugenie and her husband decide to start a family soon, their children’s right to royal titles will all come down to royal tradition.

Princess Eugenie and her longtime boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank, tied the knot in October last year. Now that the Princess of York has been married for six months, many expect her and her husband to make the baby announcement soon. And since Princess Eugenie has a royal title, many expect her future baby to also have one. Unfortunately, he or she won’t. While Prince Harry and Meghan’s future children may be given royal titles, Princess Eugenie’s children may not be as lucky.

When Princess Eugenie met Jack, Jack was a commoner. That did not change after they got married. When they tied the knot last year, Jack remained a commoner despite marrying a princess.

While Jack is now part of the royal family, he is still not a duke because by royal tradition, only the sons and grandsons of the monarch can be given a royal dukedom. Since Jack is not connected in any way to the monarch by blood, he did not qualify for dukedom. Also, there was no precedent for Jack receiving an earldom or any royal title upon marrying the Princess of York, so he remained a commoner.

To be given a royal title, a child born in the royal family must have parents who have titles. In the case of Princess Eugenie’s future children, they cannot have titles for the simple reason that only their mother has a royal title. In England, titles are passed down through the male line, so if a child’s father does not have a title, neither will the child, even if his or her mother is a princess.

According to “Raising Royalty” author and royal historian Carolyn Harris, however, there’s a chance the fate of Princess Eugenie’s children may change. “Princes Eugenie’s children will not have titles unless the Queen decides to bestow an earldom on Jack Brooksbank,” she said.

This happened in 1960, when Antony Armstrong-Jones, a commoner, married Princess Margaret and was bestowed an earldom by the Queen after their marriage. As a result, their children were born with royal titles.