Meghan and Harry name son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

Harry and Meghan have broken with royal tradition to name their baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and opted not to give him a courtesy title.

The royals with baby Archie and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland

The Queen and Prince Philip have been introduced to baby Archie, their newest great-grandchild. (AAP) Source: AAP

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Harry and Meghan have broken with royal convention by making a personal decision not to use a title for their baby boy. He will simply be known as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.



As the firstborn son of a duke, Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton (one of Harry's subsidiary titles) or have been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

A source said: "They have chosen not to use a courtesy title."

The decision fits in with Harry and Meghan's desire to give their son as normal a life as possible despite his royal heritage.



Harry, who has admitted he once "wanted out" of the royal family, has spoken in the past of how he was always more comfortable being Captain Wales in the Army than being Prince Harry.

Archie means "genuine", "bold" and "brave", and is German in origin. Short for Archibald, it is now given as a name in its own right.

Harrison means "son of Harry" - a tribute to the duke. It is English in origin and famous Harrisons include the Star Wars actor Harrison Ford.



Archie is not entitled to be an HRH or a prince because of rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V.

The couple's @SussexRoyal Instagram account announced: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

"This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess' mother were also present for this special occasion."



The family of three were pictured in a black and white snap showing off baby Archie to the Queen and Philip, alongside Meghan's mother Doria Ragland.

Harry and Meghan's firstborn, who is seventh in line to the throne, made his world debut with his besotted parents at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

Proud mother Meghan described him as having the "sweetest temperament" while a delighted Harry called him "our own little bundle of joy".

The Duchess of Sussex places her hand next to her baby son, who was born on Monday morning (AAP)
The Duchess of Sussex places her hand next to her baby son, Archie. Source: AAP


The Duchess added: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy."

As is the custom for royal babies, Harry and Meghan will have shared news of their choice with the monarch before releasing it to the public.

The Duke and Duchess's son arrived overdue on May 6 at 5.26am, weighing 7lb 3oz (3.26kg).

Among the bookmakers' favourites were Alexander, Arthur, Albert, as well as James and Philip while Spencer was a late favourite, but Archie was a surprise choice.

Archie is an increasingly popular name in Britain and was among the top 20 most common boy's names in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Mountbatten-Windsor is a surname used by some members of the royal family.


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3 min read
Published 9 May 2019 3:44am
Updated 9 May 2019 6:55am


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