Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s silent name change to Archie’s birth certificate in ‘snub’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a significant change to Archie’s birth certificate amid rumours of a rift with the Cambridges – and it may have been a silent snub

Prince Harry and Meghan have quietly changed an aspect of Archie’s birth certificate (
Image: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In a puzzling adjustment, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have quietly removed the Duchess of Sussex’s first names from their son Archie’s birth certificate. Archie was born on May 6, 2019, and his birth was properly documented 11 days later, with an amendment occurring on June 5.

The young boy’s formal paperwork no longer indicates ‘Rachel Meghan’ as his mother, rather it displays ‘Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex’, as reported by the Mirror. This modification materialized amid growing speculations of friction between Harry, his brother William and their respective wives.

The Sun had previously suggested that this switch might be a slight to the Prince and Princess of Wales, considering that Kate’s names are included in all of her children’s birth certificates. This might also be viewed as an act by Harry to closely associate Meghan with his late mother, Princess Diana, who was always referred to as “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales”.

Harry and Meghan made a silent change on Prince Archie’s birth certificate ( 
Image:
alexilubomirski/Instagram)
Only a short while after the changes were made to the document, Harry and Meghan renounced their joint philanthropic venture with the Fab Four and had departed from the Royal Family within a matter of months.

The contentious departure from Royal duties was named ‘Megxit’ by the media, and the Sussexes have since moved to the US, where they greeted their second child, Princess Lilibet, in 2021.

Lady Colin Campbell, who discovered the revision, voiced her thoughts saying: “It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.” Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, suggested that these changes could be “an early part of their plan.”

Royal expert Ingrid Seward added: “For a royal to change a birth certificate is unprecedented but to remove forenames is remarkable. Perhaps this is another sign they were desperate to do something different to the Cambridges.”

The couple’s relationship with the Royal Family seems to remain tense following the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare, last year, which offered his viewpoint on his relationships with senior members of the Firm, including his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the couple’s two children are now known as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.