Prince George May Have Spoiled His Royal Cousin Archie’s Name Months Ago
Prince George may have given royal watchers a spoiler on Baby Sussex’s name months ago. The eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton made headlines for talking about the name Archie to a dog walker back in January. Now, some fans of the royal family wonder if the little prince was in the know or if he, perhaps, inspired his future cousin’s name.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, first introduced their firstborn son to the world via a photocall at St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle, on Wednesday morning, two days after the child’s birth. Shortly thereafter, they announced the royal baby’s name as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, throwing oddsmakers completely through a loop. But now it seems the smart money would have listened to 5-year-old Prince George of Cambridge earlier this year.
In January, the dog walker explained the incident to The Sun.
“I was asked by a police minder not to take a photo of the children, which I didn’t, but George started stroking my dog. Just to be friendly I engaged in a bit of small talk and I asked George what his name was, even though obviously I knew it. To my astonishment, he said ‘I’m called Archie’ with a big smile on his face. I don’t know why he calls himself Archie but kids often play with their names and I think it’s lovely.”
The new debate seems to be whether or not Prince George was in the know on his cousin’s name — perhaps by overhearing the name “Archie” in a conversation at the castle — or if Meghan and Harry got the name from the cute story about their nephew.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not yet revealed why they named their son Archie. Royal insiders told The Sun that Meghan and Harry “may have just liked the name” and decided to use it, which would be a rogue move and a break from royal tradition.
Page Six notes that oddsmakers favored Arthur, Philip, or Albert for the royal baby, so Archie’s name was a big surprise — even more so because it is a nickname for the more formal name Archibald. It is unclear why the royal couple went with a shortened version of the name.
Archie is a name with English and Scottish origins “composed of the Germanic elements ercan, meaning ‘genuine,’ and bald, meaning ‘bold’ or ‘brave,'” according to the UK site Baby Centre. Little Archie’s middle name, Harrison, appears to be a nod to his dad’s nickname, Harry. Prince Harry’s birth name is actually Henry Charles Albert David,
Baby Archie is seventh-in-line to the throne, several slots behind his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
