Parents proudly introduce Archie to the world
Two days after welcoming their son, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, appeared at Windsor Castle on Wednesday to introduce the newborn for the cameras. A few hours later, Buckingham Palace announced his name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
“It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing!” Meghan said. “I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”
Harry, who put a new spin on royal baby debuts by being the one to hold the newborn during the photo opp in St. George’s Hall, proclaimed, “Parenting is amazing. It’s only been – what, 21⁄2 days, three days – but we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy. We have to spend some precious time
“Parenting is amazing . ... We have to spend some precious time with him as he slowly starts to grow up.”
Prince Harry
with him as he slowly starts to grow up.”
Wednesday afternoon, the couple shared a photo of little Archie meeting his maternal grandmother, Doria Ragland, and his paternal great-grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, on their official Instagram account, @SussexRoyal.
The baby, who is seventh in line to the throne, is the eighth great-grandchild for the queen, 93, and her 97-yearold husband, who is mostly retired from public life.
Archie’s surname, MountbattenWindsor, is a tribute to Philip, who, upon becoming a father, expressed frustration over the fact that he was “the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children.”
The highest-ranking royals usually don’t use last names at all or go by their father’s title. As the sons of the Prince of Wales, Harry and William used the surname “Wales” in school and in the military. Prince George is known by William’s title, Cambridge, at school.
The baby probably won’t receive a “royal highness” or other courtesy title from the queen, who decides these matters based on personal preference of the parents and rules laid down in 1917 by her grandfather, King George V.
Harry and Meghan promised in April that they would pose for photos within a few days of the baby’s arrival, but first, they wanted “an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.”
Harry didn’t quite stick to the script. He appeared before media cameras at Windsor Castle on Monday to announce the birth as horses looked on from the royal stables behind him. Harry gushed that the birth experience was “amazing” and that he was “over the moon.”
He had promised again to pose for photos: “For us, we’ll be seeing you guys in probably two days’ time as planned.”
On Wednesday, before departing from the grand hallway, Meghan conveyed her gratitude: “Thank you, everybody, for the well-wishes and the kindness. It just means so much.”
The baby’s birth May 6 means he will share close birthdays with two of his cousins: the daughter of Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, who turned 4 on May 2, and Prince Louis, the youngest little Cambridge, who turned 1 on April 23.
The next big event in the little royal’s life is likely to be his christening, which usually takes place two months after the birth and marks his official naming and his entry into the Church of England. The question is, where will it take place?
Prince George and Prince Louis were christened in the historic Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, close to Buckingham Palace and to grandfather Prince Charles’ London base at Clarence House.
Princess Charlotte was christened in July 2015 at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham, the royal estate in Norfolk.
St. George’s Chapel, on the grounds of the couple’s new base at Windsor Castle, seems a likely candidate for Archie’s christening. After all, that’s where Harry and Meghan got married, it’s where Harry himself was christened in December 1984.