Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined by her mother Doria Ragland, show their new son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined by her mother Doria Ragland, show their new son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen an unexpected name for their firstborn baby, and it's already the subject of great debate.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have revealed their son's name is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, after introducing him to the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Archie means "genuine", "bold" and "brave", is of German origin and is popular in the UK. It was once a short form of Archibald, but now many families use it on its own.
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a photocall with their newborn son Archie. Photo / AP
Famous Archies include US actor Archie Kao, former NFL star Archie Manning and Archie Andrews — a red-headed comic book character from the Archie comics.
The baby was not given a HRH, even though the Queen could have tweaked the rules, as she did for Kate and William's children, to make him a prince.
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaves after a photocall with their newborn son, in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined by her mother Doria Ragland, show their new son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
Meghan and Harry have also chosen not to give him an aristocratic title, even though he could have been styled as Lord Mountbatten-Windsor and taken one of Prince Harry's lesser titles, such as Earl of Dumbarton. He will simply be known as Master Archie.
Harry, 34, has previously spoken of how he would like his children to have a relatively normal upbringing.
The little boy, who was born early on Monday morning local time, could one day inherit the title the Duke of Sussex from Harry.
Some complained of the choice of the short-form of Archibald rather than the full name, while others joked it could be to avoid offending Prince William. But many loved the original choice, a refreshing antidote to the typical use of the same few names within the royal family.
So the royal couple, in a striking blow for diversity & feminism, have given their son one of the most popular white middle-class first names, Archie, and a second name, Harrison, that was chosen because it stands for 'Harry's son' (I'm serious..). Hilarious. pic.twitter.com/kV0ezcwNLc
Bookmakers had named Arthur or Albert as the most likely names for Baby Sussex, with James, Alexander and Philip among the other frontrunners.
There was speculation the royals could choose Charles as the baby's middle name, in tribute to Prince Harry's father. Many of these names had already been used, however. Prince William and Kate Middleton's third child, Prince Louis, has Arthur and Charles as his middle names. Prince George has Alexander and Louis.
Some did foresee the modernising royal couple might choose a less traditional name, based on Meghan's Californian heritage.
The 37-year-old's mother Doria Ragland, who was present for the birth and the introduction to the Queen and Prince Philip, is staying with the couple at their home of Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The 62-year-old is "overjoyed" at the arrival of her first grandchild, according to the birth announcement released by Buckingham Palace.
Speaking outside the stables in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Monday, a delighted Harry suggested there had been plenty of discussion of the name. "We're still thinking about names," he said. "The baby's a little bit overdue, so we've had a bit of time to think about it, but that's the next bit.
"We'll be seeing you guys in two days' time as planned, so everyone can see the baby."
There was talk that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could choose to pay tribute to the prince's late mother, Diana, by picking Aidan — an anagram of her name. They could also have plumped for Spencer, the princess's surname.
Instead they have surprised us all, and again kept things interesting by breaking with royal tradition.
