Duke and Duchess of Sussex reveal Archie almost had a different name
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While attending the fifth Invictus Games in the Netherlands, Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle revealed that the name Archie wasn’t always their first choice for their almost-three-year-old son.
Meghan and Harry appear to have debated whether to name their son Archie or the more old traditions Harrison in the run-up to his birth.
Finally, the couple settled on the modern option of Archie, a shortening of Archibald.
Over the weekend, Meghan met a parent who had brought her son, Harrison, to a reading session for children at the Invictus Games, which are proudly supported by Harry and Meghan, according to the New Idea.
Sherry McBain, an RAF nursing officer and Games competitor, revealed that her wife, Mandy, had a sweet conversation with Meghan about their son’s names.
“[Meghan] was like ‘Harrison, that’s Archie’s middle name,’” Sherry recalled to the PA News Agency.
“They were just having a chat because Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name,” she shared.
When Harry and Meghan announced their plans to name their son Archie when he arrives in May 2019, they stunned the world by opting for a shortened, informal version of Archibald.
Because royal children are frequently given more traditional family names, the oddsmaker’s top picks were Arthur, James, Philip, and Albert.
He was given the surname Mountbatten-Windsor as well as the middle name Harrison, which is an elongated version of his father’s name.
Their daughter was also given an informal first name, Lilibet, after Queen Elizabeth’s nickname, which was only used by close family members. They reportedly call her ‘Lili.’
Sherry praised Meghan and Harry for their role in the event, in which Meghan read a story to the children who attended.
“Harrison was drawing pictures and telling her that it was a picture of a tram,” she said.
“I don’t think it quite looked like a tram, so she was very gracious and said, ‘that’s a brilliant tram’, so he was delighted.”
Harry also used the occasion to discuss their young son’s ambitious goals.
“When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot – a helicopter pilot obviously – or Kwazii from Octonauts,” he laughed, referencing the popular children’s show.
“But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today,” he told the crowd.
