Why Meghan Markle Made This Surprising Change To Archie's Birth Certificate
Meghan Markle made headlines over the weekend following reports of a change to her son's birth certificate. Apparently, the main alteration wasn't to Archie's name or title, but to her own. After much speculation and rumors of "snubbing" the royal family, a spokesperson for Meghan Markle released a statement to Harper's Bazaar explaining that the change came at the request of the palace and was in no way a dramatic occurrence.
The outlet explains that his mother's name now reads "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex" whereas before, her forenames were listed as "Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex". After continued speculation that the duchess herself was behind the change due to various personal and vengeful reasons, her spokesperson set the record straight. It appears that her husband's family asked for the change to take place, for reasons that have not yet been revealed.
"The change of name on public documents in 2019 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," the statement reads. Even more damning, it continues with, "To see this U.K. tabloid and their carnival of so-called 'experts' chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family 'snub' and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child's birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive."
The changes to Archie's birth certificate came a month after he was born
In addition being a simple change, the birth certificate drama actually took place over a year ago, Marie Claire notes, only a month after their son was born. While Meghan removed her first name and then used her title alone, her husband also added "Prince" to the document under his name. This section now reads, "His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex" as opposed to "His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex." While it may seem like simple semantics to an onlooker, the change may have bigger consequences in British royal circles. Prior to the release of the Duchess' statement, many speculated about the reasons why the royal couple would make these adjustments to the official document.
Some suggested that the change symbolized a nod to Harry's mother, Princess Diana, who often used her title, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, for official and unofficial dealings, the outlet reports. Other theories attempted to create a darker narrative, calling it a snub to Kate Middleton, who used her first name on her children's birth certificates. Indeed, Markle's spokesperson finished with, "There's a lot going on in the world; let's focus on that rather than creating clickbait."
Before this statement's release, neither of Archie's parents had commented on the name change.
The couple had released a copy of Archie's birth certificate to the public
Upon his birth, Archie's parents released a copy of their son's birth certificate to the public, Harper's Bazaar reports. As for the baby's name, Archie serves as his full first name with no longer version. The outlet notes that Archie means "genuine and bold," while his middle name, Harrison, is aptly appropriated, meaning "son of Harry."
As for his parents, both of their occupations were listed as "Prince" and "Princess." Vanity Fair reports that the document denotes Meghan Markle as "Princess of the United Kingdom" which came as a surprise at the time since she was only known as the Duchess of Sussex. However, her sister-in-law, Kate, is listed as Princess on all three of her children's birth certificates as well.
At the time, this release showed the public that Markle did not have a home birth, as many speculated, but that the latest royal baby had been born in a hospital. The document also disclosed the location of Archie's birth at the Portland Hospital in Westminster, according to the outlet. Dubbed a "luxury" hospital, this venue has hosted the likes of Victoria Beckham, Sarah Ferguson and Elizabeth Hurley when they gave birth to their children. With a complementary champagne toast and lobster celebratory meal, the hospital sounds like a fit for a son of England.
While we may not know the exact reason for baby Archie's birth certificate edits, it's clear that a lot of it has likely gotten blown out of proportion. The little royal still has two doting parents, a royal lineage and a home in sunny California.