Royal fans were astonished when it was revealed Meghan's first names had been taken off Archie's birth certificate. Photo / Getty Images
Royal fans were astonished when it was revealed Meghan's first names had been taken off Archie's birth certificate. Photo / Getty Images
Buckingham Palace has refuted claims that it "dictated" that Meghan Markle should remove her first names from Archie's birth certificate.
Meghan and Harry's US PR team blamed the palace for taking "Rachel Meghan" off the document, leaving just "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex", reports the Daily Mail.
A royal source blamed Harry and Meghan's own aides at Kensington Palace for making the changes, saying it had nothing to do with the Queen or her staff.
"The certificate was changed by the former office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It was changed to ensure consistency of the name and title of the Duchess with other private documents," they said.
And another source told the Telegraph that it was all a mistake on the part of the Sussexes' US media team, suggesting something was "lost in translation".
The statement "posed more questions than it answered", they said.
"These are civil documents, there is no protocol."
Archie was born on May 6, 2019, and his birth was registered on May 17. Meghan's name was changed on June 5 but has only just been revealed, sparking speculation as to why.
The Sussexes' PR team said it was "dictated" by the palace in an attack on the British media.
Their spokesperson blamed the press "and their carnival of so-called experts", saying the removal 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".
Royal fans were astonished when it was revealed Meghan's first names had been taken off Archie's birth certificate. Photo / Getty Images
Royal writer Ingrid Seward told the Sun, "For a royal to change a birth certificate is unprecedented but to remove forenames is remarkable."
Others thought it might be a nod to Princess Diana, who used the title HRH the Princess of Wales.
Meghan and Harry registered a private company titled "Sussex Royal The Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex" on July 1 last year. But after the couple revealed their intention to step down as senior royals, they agreed to stop using "Sussex Royal" as a brand name.
They announced they would be stepping down as senior royals in January 2020.
Later they announced the foundation would be called Archewell, which is registered in the US and is not endorsed by the royals.
