Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey in the CBS special interview that her son with Prince Harry, Archie Harrison, was not given a royal title or security details because he is a biracial child. However, this royal decree has been in place since 1917 by the order of King George V, Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, and it has to do with the line of succession and not of race or skin color.
Years before Meghan became part of the royal family, George V issued a Letters Patent, much like an Executive Orders for world leaders, to limit the titles to just the grandchildren of the sovereign. The order also indicated that the first-born grandchild of the Prince of Wales would be given a title but the rest of his grandchildren will not be entitled to the status of "prince" or "princess."
Archie is a great-grandchild of the current sovereign thus he is automatically not entitled to carry a "prince" status based on this decree. He can receive a title, however, when his grandfather, Prince Charles, becomes the King of the United Kingdom. By then, Archie will be the grandchild of the current sovereign.
Archie's cousin, Prince George, has a title because he is the first-born grandchild of the Prince of Wales. However, his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were also elevated to royal status because Queen Elizabeth issued a Letters Patent as well.
In 2012, Queen Elizabeth's decree declared that all of the children, not just the first-born, of the first child of the Prince of Wales, who is Prince William, must have royal titles. The Queen issued this decree to ensure the monarchy's future when she has passed on.
The same decree also changed the order in the line of succession, removing the preferential treatment for male heirs. Charlotte became the first beneficiary of this ruling, making her the fourth in the line of succession. Had the decree stayed the same, Charlotte would have dropped down to the fifth spot to be overtaken by her younger brother, Louis.
Over the years, the sovereign issues many Letters Patent to impact the title inheritance and the line. Meghan told Oprah that she wanted this to change for Archie so he could receive security protection, as only titled royals are paid for by the state.
But extending such a privilege to non-titled members of the royal family is a joint decision by the Queen, the office of Prime Minister and the Metropolitan Police. They have to weigh this properly because it's the taxpayers who might protest on the privilege extended to the family.
