Why did Prince Harry and Meghan choose the name
'Archie' for their first born? And what other name did they almost choose?
Keep watching for the inside scoop on a chat with Meghan that explains it all.
Back in 2019 when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were expecting their first child, people placed
bets on the baby's name, gender, weight, and even godparent for upwards of $1 million.
Some of the name favorites were Alexander and Albert, according to BBC, but the Duke and
Duchess of Sussex went with Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor for their firstborn.
Archie was traditionally a nickname for Archibald and means genuine and bold, according to Time.
The name Harrison is typically a last name that means son of Harry, which, of course, makes sense.
While talking with a mother and competitor in the Invictus Games at The Hague,
Meghan Markle acknowledged the challenge she and Prince Harry faced when naming Archie;
She said that they were debating switching the names and having his first name be Harrison
and his middle name be Archie, according to a report published by the PA News agency.
Like virtually anything to do with the Royal Family, the news made headlines around the
world. Still, despite this splash of publicity, the couple has generally kept Archie out of the
spotlight, though he did accompany his parents on their 10 day Africa tour when he was five
months old. Archie didn't actually come along on the trip to the Invictus Games — the first
European trip for Markle since the couple left royal duties. Still, while Archie was absent,
the couple discussed him more than once. In addition to revealing that Archie's
name could be different, Markle said that she's missing Archie and his little sister Lilibet.
Archie also came up another time at the Invictus Games. At the opening ceremony of the games,
Prince Harry talked about what 3-year-old Archie wants to be when he grows up;
Like most young children, it apparently changes day to day and includes helicopter pilot,
astronaut, and the character Kwazii from Netflix's animated Octonauts. Prince Harry went on to
say that he hopes Archie can grow up with the character of those participating in the games.
As Archie grows, the way he is addressed could change.
Under royal protocol stemming from a 1917 legal document written by King George V, Archie would
be able to take the name Prince Archie when his grandfather Prince Charles becomes king.
However, in the explosive Oprah interview that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat for in 2021,
she alleged that there was conversation within the royal family about not letting
Archie ever take the title. Without him being a prince, he would have had reduced security.
"Do you think it's because of his race? And I know that's a loaded question, but…"
This is not the case for all of the royal grandchildren.
Queen Elizabeth II issued her own legal document that made all of Prince William's children,
not just his firstborn, princes and princesses.
If he does become a prince, his name will be fairly unique. Unlike most of the world,
instead of going to a baby name book, the royal family often looks back at their own family tree
for name inspiration. Traditionally, royal babies are named after members of the royal family.
Take Prince William and Kate Middleton's children, for example. There are six former King Georges,
which makes sense that their first born — third in line to be king — is named Prince George.
Meanwhile, Princess Charlotte shares her name with Queen Charlotte,
and Prince Louis was named for Prince William's great granduncle, Louis Mountbatten.
Queen Elizabeth II is apparently consulted about the names of her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, though it isn't a formal process the way that getting a title is,
according to CNN. We don't know for sure what the queen thought about Archie's name
when she first heard it, but we do know that she definitely played a major part in his last name.
According to the Royal Family's website, in 1960, it was decided that all direct descendants of
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip would have the last name Mountbatten-Windsor if they were not
otherwise a prince, princess, or his or her royal highness. If you're a fan of Netflix's The Crown,
you may remember the debate over the last name featured in Season 1.
Basically, Prince Philip wanted his children to be named Mountbatten, but others,
like the Queen Mother and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, wanted to stick with the name Windsor.
"Now, don't forget the two things we discussed."
"I won't."
"The children keeping my surname—"
"Yes."
While Archie's first name doesn't seem to have much connection to the
historic family he was born into, his younger sister's name definitely does.
Her first name Lilibet is also a nickname for Queen Elizabeth II,
and her middle name Diana is, of course, for Prince Harry's mother Princess Diana.
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