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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned down the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son Archie as they were worried he could be bullied over the word “dumb”, it is reported.
Both of the Sussexes felt that he could get picked on and it was possibly also a nod towards later living in the US as “dumb” is a slang word for daft which is more often used by Americans.
A Telegraph source said: “They didn’t like the idea of Archie being called the Earl of Dumbarton because it began with the word ‘dumb’. They were worried about how that might look.”
Another insider claimed: “It wasn’t just Meghan who pointed out the potential pitfalls, it also bothered Harry.”
The Sussexes rift with the rest of the Royal Family has grown significantly since their move to the US where they have given interviews and been critical of their lives back in the UK.
It comes as the of question whether Archie would ever be called a prince has come to light as it is reported that Prince Charles is against it due to his wish for a slimmed-down monarchy.
It would mean that he would change the George V convention where grandchildren of a monarch are princes or princesses.
Harry has appeared to be “adamant” that Archie “should be raised without titles like his cousins Peter and Zara Phllips”, while a Telegraph source said “the couple didn’t want any titles for their children.”
At the same time, though, Meghan told Oprah that Archie was blocked from being a prince and that he would be denied taxpayer funded security, while the question of the colour of his skin was raised by the Royal Family.
She said: “In those months when I was pregnant we have in tandem the conversation of, you won’t be given security, not going to be given a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
The Earl of Dumbarton title was created for Lord George Douglas in the Peerage of Scotland in March 1675 for his efforts fighting in the Franco-Dutch War.
Lord Dumbarton was also made Lord Douglas of Ettrick and following the death of his only son, who was unmarried, the titles became extinct in January 1749.
They were recreated by the Queen as one of the two subsidiary titles for her grandson Harry, when he married Meghan in May 2018.
He was also created Baron Kilkeel and his son is the heir to the earldom but when he was born in May 2019, the couple insisted that he would simply be known as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
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