Kan vara så, Nammi. Jag hittade detta på The Encyclopedia of Arda. Tydligen är jag inte den enda som har lagt märke till att han trots allt var en slags "prins".
Citera:
Though Pippin denied the title of 'prince', it was not entirely inappropriate. As the son and heir to Thain Paladin II of the Shire, he was as close to a being a prince as it was possible to come in Shire society. Of course, the people of Gondor were thinking in quite different terms - to them the title Ernil or 'Prince' typically denoted an important lord or leader such as the Prince of Dol Amroth or the Prince of Ithilien.