Meghan Markle made headlines over the weekend following reports of a change to her son's
birth certificate. Apparently, the main alteration wasn't to Archie's name or title, but to her
own. After much speculation and rumors of "snubbing" the royal family, a spokesperson
for Meghan Markle released a statement to Harper's Bazaar explaining that the change
came at the request of the palace and was in no way a dramatic occurrence.
The outlet explains that his mother's name now reads "Her Royal Highness The Duchess
of Sussex" whereas before, her forenames were listed as "Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness
The Duchess of Sussex". After continued speculation that the duchess herself was behind the change
due to various personal and vengeful reasons, her spokesperson set the record straight.
It appears that her husband's family asked for the change to take place, for reasons
that have not yet been revealed. The statement reads,
"The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed
by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess
of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."
Even more damning, it continues with,
"To see this U.K. tabloid and their carnival of so-called 'experts' chose to deceptively
whip this into a calculated family 'snub' and suggest that she would oddly want to be
nameless on her child's birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable
were it not offensive."
In addition being a simple change, the birth certificate drama actually took place over
a year ago, Marie Claire notes, only a month after their son was born. While Meghan removed
her first name and then used her title alone, her husband also added "Prince" to the document
under his name. This section now reads, "His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert
David Duke of Sussex" as opposed to "His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of
Sussex." While it may seem like simple semantics to an onlooker, the change may have bigger
consequences in British royal circles. Prior to the release of the Duchess' statement,
many speculated about the reasons why the royal couple would make these adjustments
to the official document.
Some suggested that the change symbolized a nod to Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who
often used her title, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, for official and unofficial
dealings, the outlet reports. Other theories attempted to create a darker narrative, calling
it a snub to Kate Middleton, who used her first name on her children's birth certificates.
Indeed, Markle's spokesperson finished with,
"There's a lot going on in the world; let's focus on that rather than creating clickbait."
Before this statement's release, neither of Archie's parents had commented on the name
change.
Upon his birth, As Harper’s Bazaar reports, Archie's parents released a copy of their
son's birth certificate to the public. The baby's name, Archie serves as his full first
name with no longer version. The outlet notes that Archie means "genuine and bold," while
his middle name, Harrison, is aptly appropriated, meaning "son of Harry."
Archie’s parents’ occupations were listed as "Prince" and "Princess." Vanity Fair reports
that the document denotes Meghan Markle as "Princess of the United Kingdom" which came
as a surprise at the time since she was only known as the Duchess of Sussex. However, her
sister-in-law, Kate, is listed as Princess on all three of her children's birth certificates
as well.
At the time, this release showed the public that Markle did not have a home birth, as
many speculated, but that the latest royal baby had been born in a hospital. The document
also disclosed the location of Archie's birth at the Portland Hospital in Westminster, according
to the outlet. Dubbed a "luxury" hospital, this venue has hosted the likes of Victoria
Beckham, Sarah Ferguson and Elizabeth Hurley when they gave birth to their children. With
a complimentary champagne toast and lobster celebratory meal, the hospital sounds like
a fit for a son of England.
While we may not know the exact reason for baby Archie's birth certificate edits, it's
clear that a lot of it has likely gotten blown out of proportion. The little royal still
has two doting parents, a royal lineage and a home in sunny California.
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