Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children could be known as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet after the Queen's death

• Following the Queen's death, significant changes are in store for the British royal family.
• That includes an array of new titles, which also apply to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children could now be known as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, according to historical British law.

The shift in their royal titles was set in motion after the death of Queen Elizabeth II at her residence in Balmoral, announced by Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

According to a law set out by King George V in 1917, known as the Letters Patent, all royals who are either the children or the grandchildren of the sovereign through a male line can hold the titles of prince and princess, Tatler reported.

The decree, according to the outlet, reads: "The children of any Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of prince or princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour."

This means that Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, Harry and Markle's children, are technically now prince and princess.

Markle previously said Archie would be denied a princely title

However, whether or not Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, will assume those titles is unclear and could be subject to a decision made by Charles as king, The Guardian reported.

During Markle and Harry's 2021 tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple said that there were talks about denying Archie a princely title and suggested this was because of race. The comments came prior to the birth of Lilibet, who was born in June 2021.

At one point in the interview, Markle told Winfrey that while she was pregnant "they" — possibly the members of the royal household — "were saying they didn't want him to be a prince… which would be different from protocol."

Meanwhile, all three of Prince William and Kate Middleton's children use princely titles.

Markle also said her son would be "the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be."

A statement released by Buckingham Palace on behalf of the Queen after the interview said "the whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

It added: "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

According to The Guardian, Winfrey also asked Markle whether Archie having a title was important to her. Referencing whether or not extended members of the royal family have the right to police protection, Markle said: "If it meant he was going to be safe, then of course."

The outlet also reported that the shift from protocol could be related to Charles' reported desire to have a "slimmed down" monarchy.

As Insider's Mikhaila Friel previously reported, the restructuring of the monarchy could also include limiting the number of working royals to just eight key members, all senior working royals.

Buckingham Palace and representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.