Prince Charles to ‘ensure grandson Archie, 2, will never be a Prince sparking fury with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’

Charles has told Harry and Meghan that he will change key legal documents to make sure that Archie will not get the title he would have once been given by right. 

The decision comes after months of fraught discussions behind the scenes and has caused a bitter war of words between Harry and his relatives. 

A source close to the couple reportedly said: “Harry and Meghan were told Archie would never be a Prince, even when Charles became King.”

The existing rules for Royal titles were established in Letters Patent dated November 20, 1917, which allowed the title of Prince and Princess to be given to specific relatives. 

The children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign's sons and the oldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales are entitled to be called Prince or Princess. 

Prince George received the title automatically, while Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis  received their titles as gifts from the Queen, who issued new Letters Patent to that effect in 2013. 

An insider added: “Charles has never made any secret of the fact that he wants a slimmed-down Monarchy when he becomes King.

“He realises that the public don't want to pay for a huge Monarchy and, as he said, the balcony at Buckingham Palace would probably collapse.”

A Royal source last night said: “We are not going to speculate about the succession or comment on rumours coming out of America.”

Charles has already been arguing with Prince Andrew over the security of his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie for the future. 

Insiders reportedly claimed that they had not seen the move coming, and were surprised that Charles had said he would change the legal Letters Patent in order to exclude Archie and others. 

A source close to the Sussexes earlier this year confirmed that the couple had expected Archie to be named a Prince when Charles took the throne.

The Sussexes are thought to have found out about the plans before sitting down with Oprah Winfrey for their bombshell interview. 

During one part of the interview, Meghan told Oprah: “They were saying they didn't want him to be a Prince or a Princess.

“You know, the other piece of that convention is, there's a convention – I forget if it was George V or George VI convention – that when you're the grandchild of the monarch, so when Harry's dad becomes King, automatically Archie and our next baby would become Prince or Princess, or whatever they were going to be… But also it's not their right to take it away.”

Prince Harry is also thought to have demanded to hand pick at least one journalist to work alongside the British press pack of Royal reporters at the unveiling of the statue dedicated to Princess Diana next month. 

It comes after warring brothers William and Harry have called a truce for the unveiling of a statue to mum Diana.

The pair are due at Kensington Palace in London on July 1 — their first meeting since Philip’s funeral in April.

The Princes will leave Kensington Palace together, walk to the statue then deliver their own speeches.

Sadly, sources say there has been no reconciliation since Harry and wife Meghan trashed the Royal Family in their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview in March.

It comes as a new book detailed an extraordinary bust-up between the Princes over claims Meghan bullied Buckingham Palace staff.

And we can reveal dad Charles will likely stay in Scotland when his son jets in from the US at the end of the month.

Author Robert Lacey’s book Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult revealed how William “went ballistic” at distressing claims Meghan bullied Palace aides.

He is then said to have confronted his younger brother in a “fierce and bitter” bust-up.

Palace insiders say a “dossier of distress” was assembled into the alleged bullying. One aide claims a confrontation with Meghan made her “feel sick”. Another said she “could not stop shaking”.

A third accused the Duchess of dishing out “emotional cruelty and manipulation”. One says they suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

William is said to have been “instantly furious”, with the claims at odds with his and Kate’s “paternalistic” treatment of their own staff, says the book.

The Sussexes have repeatedly denied the bullying claims.

According to a pal of William, the Prince rang Harry in autumn 2018. Harry is said to have “flared up in furious defence of his wife” before slamming down the phone.

In the Oprah interview, the Sussexes claimed Meghan was a victim of racism from unnamed royals.

Harry also told the chat host that he fell out with William around the time of the Sussexes’ 2018 tour of Australia. He suggested his family were jealous Meghan was good with ­people and adored by the public — just like Diana.

But Mr Lacey’s book suggests the siblings were no longer on speaking terms before the Australia trip — because of the bullying scandal.

It erupted when Kensington Palace communications chief Jason Knauf emailed William’s private secretary claiming Meghan was mistreating staff.

Palace workers had already coined the “half-joke” hashtag #freeHarry when Knauf felt it important to raise the allegations.

Some staff referred to themselves as the “Sussex Survivors Club”, it is claimed.

One palace courtier recalled in the book: “I overheard a conversation between Harry and one of his top aides. Harry was screaming down the phone.

“Team Sussex was a toxic environment. People shouting in faces.”

Author Lacey alleges William felt Meghan was following an “agenda” during her time in the Royal Family and planned to return to the US, taking Harry with her.