TORONTO --
In a time of worry for the Queen with the pandemic, the health of Prince Philip, the depleting numbers in the working Royal Family and the disunity in her Kingdom, one of the happier parts of 2021 for Her Majesty will no doubt be the addition of three more great grandchildren, bringing the total to 11.
The Queen and Duke have lived to know 8 grandchildren, 5 of whom are happily married, although one who is now separated, and they have in turn produced a new generation.
It is clear from scenes of the Queen with her great grandchildren that her growing family has given her much joy and pride. Like most grandparents, the Queen seems to enjoy a more informal relationship with the next generations than she may have done with her own four children.
Although the Queen has exceeded all royal records in her long reign, Queen Victoria lived to see 42 grandchildren and 87 great grandchildren, and at least half of these great grandchildren were born before her death.
We live in a different time with people marrying later, having fewer children and an increase in marital disunion. In Victoria’s time all but one of Victoria’s great grandchildren had a title of some kind, mostly royal.
Since then, there have been significant changes to who is a Royal Highness and who is not. And who wants to be.
Many wonder whether these upcoming births are considered royal children. These infants are part of the Royal Family even though they are not individually royals. Princess Anne once said, "my children aren't royal, they just happen to have a Grandmother who is the Queen.” The same could have been said in Princess Margaret’s day as the children of princesses have been free to live their lives in their own way in recent years.
Most of the Queen’s great grandchildren will not be part of the working life of the Royal Family, nor will they undertake official engagements or commitments. This is because of their position in the line of succession, as well as the wishes of their parents. Their legal status is as commoners, subject to the same considerations as everyone else, even though they have royal lineage. As a result, the parents have had much more flexibility in choice of names, outside the traditional choices.
In 2021, the first of these happy births was the arrival of August Philip Hawke Brooksbank in February (11th in line). Due to her scoliosis, Princess Eugenie gave birth by C-section, and so the birth was relatively private. The name of her infant son is a tribute to both Prince Philip as well as Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, through the name August.
The Brooksbank family tree is also represented with the use the name Hawke. As the son of a princess, August will have no royal or courtesy title, and will grow up as plain Mr. Brooksbank. He will have a life free to choose his own career, marriage partner, although there will always be some public interest. He just happens to have a great grandmother who is the Queen and a great Uncle who will be King.
In December, Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, announced she was pregnant with her third child. Sara previously gave birth to Mia (2014) and Lena (2018) and between these two births she had two miscarriages. Like Zara herself, her daughters and her unborn child will grow up without any title and she and her family make their own way having as normal life as possible, although Zara is a noted equestrian and a major figure in sport in the UK, like her mother.
Few were surprised to learn of the pregnancy of the Duchess of Sussex, given that she did receive a continuation in court proceedings for a nine-month period. It also follows the disclosure by Meghan that she had suffered a miscarriage in the summer of 2020 about which she wrote movingly in The New York Times.
Their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor, is referred to as Archie, although he could be entitled to the use of the title Earl of Dumbarton, one of Prince Harry's lesser titles. In due course Archie will succeed his father as Duke of Sussex. Other children could be referred to as ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’ as the offspring of a Duke. But given that the Sussex family lives in the U.S., and with the views of the Duke and Duchess about royal life, it is unlikely these children will ever use a title.
Once Prince Charles succeeds to the throne, Prince Harry would become the son of a King and his children would be entitled to be princes and princesses. It is not expected that they would upgrade their titles nor will the children undertake working royal roles given the departure of Harry and Meghan.
It is much more likely they will follow the example of Prince Edward’s children who have not used the royal titles to which they are entitled, in favour of a regular life.
Even though Baby Sussex will be eighth in line to the throne, there will not be public information unless it is at a time and in a form chosen by the Duchess. Many think that the public interest and media management arrangements around the birth of her first child was one of the issues which created stress in her relationship with the Palace. This may have encouraged the Duke and Duchess to wish to control their media image on their terms. I expect that this may be touched upon in the upcoming interview with Oprah.
The arrival of children in any family is an occasion for great joy and suggests rebirth, continuity, and the circle of life. In this, the Royal Family is no different.
As the Royal Family gets much larger in the days and weeks ahead, it will give happiness to the Queen and Duke, particularly once they can leave their bubble at Windsor Castle and be reunited with their family. Like all grandparents and great grandparents in this time of COVID, that is a day we are all looking forward to.
